A new beginning
by kukylovey
Summary: Years passed since the battle with the Vespers, but what happens when a new group is taking an interest in the 39 clues? And how will Amy and Ian cope with being forced to pretend to be engaged for a mission?
1. Chapter 1

**A new beginning**

Ian Kabra just didn't have the power, didn't have the will, didn't have the patience and didn't have the time to go to _another_ Cahill meeting.

He glanced at his phone to check the hour. He had half an hour left to be there. He cursed the time and blew his horn, indicating the stupid car that blocked him to start moving.

After the Vespers were defeated, it was decided that he would be the head of the Lucians in due time, when he reaches the age of thirty. That way, he could go to college and have a degree and find a decent job. It was likewise with all the rest - Amy, Jonah, Hamilton and Sinead.

Now, at the age of twenty four, he was deep inside his business - A new law firm he established just started to grow and get some clients. He managed to advertise this firm so successfully that even though he had just started - He already had many curious clients waiting to hear from him and other lawyers wanting to know about him and have an interview with him.

Of course he would be a success. He was Ian Kabra after all.

But now, old Fiske asked for all of them to gather together, even though they hadn't met for couple of months now. What was so urgent?

He parked his car and got out of it smoothly. He got into the building, showing his ID though all the secretaries already knew who he was.

He took the elevator to the third floor, and when he opened the door, he saw that Hamilton and Amy were sitting there, next to the big elliptic table, talking and laughing.

When they saw him, they both stopped talking. "Hey man," Said Hamilton, his blue usually friendly eyes a little hesitate. "What's up?"

Amy smiled at him. "Hey, Ian."

"I'm good, thank you." He said and took the seat in front of them.

Hamilton, now, was a Football coach star. If that was possible, he was even bigger than when they were teenagers. Amy, on the other hand, worked in a publishing firm as an editor.

That moment, Sinead starling came inside, and Fiske behind her. "Good, you are all here."

"What? That's it?" Said Hamilton in amazement. "Where's everybody?"

"I only wanted the four of you." Fiske looked at him sharply and then stood before them. "We have a problem."

"Of course we do." Ian grumbled.

Fiske sighed. "There's a group called "The Darmores". We're in the Madrigal headquarter heard about them a year ago. It's a group of scientists, very accomplished and successful, that divide into many fields, like Medicine, High Tech, and so on. Recently, we heard that a few of them heard somehow of the 39 clues." His voice turned to a whisper in the end.

"So what are we going to do about it?" Asked Sinead.

"We need to figure out what they know," Explained Fiske. "What they want. This mission is secured especially for you guys, considering you're a primary candidates to replace the branch leaders in due time. This is your chance to prove yourselves!"

Ian rolled his eyes. If there was one thing he didn't have to do - It was proving himself.

Sinead nodded, her red curls swaying with her. "So what's the plan?"

Fiske passed his sever gaze between them. "The Darmores have a special event at Rudolf Hotel this weekend. We'll all get on a direct flight to there at Thursday. The event is a very fancy one, funded by many inventors around the world. The different scientists will present their work to each other and get an opportunity to find more investors to their projects."

"Oh, dear," Amy stretched her arms on the table and put her head inside. "I _hate_ those events."

Ian felt irritated by that. Every single meeting they had, he just hated hearing her _talking_. Her voice was soft and melodic, she sounded too _cute_. He just couldn't have this thoughts anymore, this thing they never had had between them was over a long time ago.

"That's a shame, dear, because you're going to be a part of the gala that will take place Thursday evening." Said Fiske.

Amy rose up and chuckled. "Of course I am."

"In that weekend, and at the gala specifically, we need you to try to find out what they know about the 39 clues. Sinead, you will stay at our near headquarter with me, and manage all the gadgets, Microphones, cameras and so on. And you will have _many_. Amy, Ian, you are going to pretend to be a couple, searching for a Start-up to invest in."

Amy immediately blushed bright pink. "Oh, god."

"Yes," Ian said stiffly and met her eyes across the table. His stomach was whirling but he wouldn't let anything show. "Oh god."

Fiske nodded and focused on them. "I will give you your fake profiles at the end to the meeting, you have everything you need there, including what you're supposed to look for in a Start-up to invest in. Make sure to memories _everything_. Each one of you will be given the other's profile as well, as you're supposed to be engaged."

Amy took a deep breath while Hamilton blinked in surprise. "Ah... Old man? What about me?"

Fiske smiled at him. "You will pretend to be their bodyguard. Notice that You _will_ be their bodyguard, but you will also play as their bodyguard."

"I see." Hamilton scratched his chin. "So I get a profile, too?"

"Of course."

"Awesome."

Fiske waited a second and then sighed. "Every question that needs to be answered will be given to you as well as a description of the ideas and culture the Darmores have. Notice that it's all very technical. Ian, I know you have studied software engineering together with law, so you probably will recognize most of the definitions."

Ian nodded. "Yea, I will."

Amy looked at him and felt kind of upset. So Ian have this successful firm of lawyers _and_ he also has studied this boring ass, numeric, and smarty major? She just couldn't believe there was so much only in one guy. In some ways, it just wasn't fair.

"Seriously?" Hamilton looked at Ian. "I thought only dorks study this kind of things."

Ian smirked. "What can I say? I'm social _and_ smart."

"Guys," Fiske sighed. "Back to the subject. Everything's clear? I will give you now the papers, read it very carefully back home. We will have a rehearsal before we get Hamilton, Amy and Ian to the hotel to make sure everyone knows what they need to do." He took some files from his bag, and started giving them away.

"That's for you, Sinead." He handed Sinead her papers. "As for you, Hamilton... you will be Ron Anderson." He gave Hamilton his file. "You, Ian... you will be Cedric O'connell." He gave Ian his file. "And you, Amy..." He smiled at her as she sighed, her green frustrated eyes popping with her bright hair spreading around. "You will be Sophie Martin." He gave Amy her file.

"So what now?" Asked Hamilton.

"Now, you go home and prepare. Make sure your work places are ok with you having to go, although we're supposed to come back in Sunday, so it's not supposed to be a problem."

"I actually have a question." Said Amy, and Fiske nodded. "Yes?"

"Where's Jonah?"

"Jonah..." Fiske said, musing. "Jonah had a big important performance this weekend. I think now that it's safe to tell you that he's considering giving up being the next leader of the Janus."

"That's too bad," Sinead rolled her eyes. "But it's his choice I guess."

"I get him, actually," Said Amy. "I mean, not that I would even think about that, but Jonah has to do what makes him happy, and I think what he's doing now has this effect on him. Being a leader of the Janus... It may cause him to lose something that he cherishes."

Ian rolled his eyes. "Yea, whatever."

Amy frowned at him. "What's _your_ problem?"

"You say that like it's a good thing, but actually, Jonah decides that his fame is more important than taking care of his branch."

"Dude, that's not what she said," Said Hamilton, his big blue eyes wide.

"Right," Said Amy, pissed. Her green eyes turned darker and her cheeks redder. He had to hold back a smile - He always tried to pick a fight with her. Every meeting they had, he managed to find this crack where he could twist her words and get under her skin. Those reactions would be the only reactions he would ever get from her, though. He knew he didn't want to be friends with her.

"What I was trying to say," Amy continued angrily. It was cute how she tried to seem calm and nice though he _knew_ she was boiling inside. "Is that it's important to take care of one's happiness, and I get that. Besides, it's not like he's leaving the Janus branch to die - another candidate will take his place."

He smirked at her. "Ok, love."

" _Don't call me love!_ "

"God," Fiske sighed. "You're supposed to be engaged, remember? You're going to have to put your personal problems aside in the mission."

Amy took a deep breath. "Of course."

Fiske nodded. "Ok, then. You can go now, I'll see you all at Wednesday night. The details of the flight will be sent to you later, all tickets already booked."

They left, the four of them walking together to the parking lot. Ian was walking a bit ahead of them, his head buried in his phone. He had to make arrangements - He had _not_ plan on missing this weakened, and now he had to reschedule most of his errands. Suddenly, he heard Hamilton's voice from behind.

"So that's it? You decided to break up?"

He froze, taking his eyes off the screen.

"I can't believe it, I thought you and Jake were forever." - Sinead's voice.

 _How was it possible that his heart started to beat faster? Why?_

"Yea, me too." Said Amy, sighing. "I mean, we've been together forever, kind off. But we both know it just doesn't work anymore, and wasting more time is just... not right."

Ian turned and looked at her, the minute she rose he gaze to him. He covered up his stare with a smirk. "Well, looks like you wouldn't have to explain to your boyfriend why we're engaged so suddenly."

Amy rolled her eyes at him and passed him. "I'm sick of this. Screw you, Ian."

Hamilton walked with her demonstratively and Sinead sighed, staying with him. "I don't get you, you know? What's in it for you to piss her off every single time?"

She passed him, and Ian sighed, still clutching his phone.

 _That way, she would stay far from me. She would stay out of reach, far away, where I don't have a chance. And that way, my heart wouldn't break all over again._

* * *

 **Hi guys :)**

 **So... I actually can't believe I'm writing** _ **another**_ **story here. That's crazy. Crazy. Honestly I thought I was done when I finished "It's all about the chances".**

 **But... even though I don't have time for anything this days, I've had this idea for a story in my head, and then the lovely MademoiselleEtincelle contacted me and encouraged me to give it a shot. **

**So thank you MademoiselleEtincelle for this, and more importantly, for being nice and honest at the same time.**

 **Anyway, I need you guys to -**

 **\- Know that I _don't_ have much time this days, but I will try to update occasionally. Those of you who know my style know that I don't like to keep anybody in suspense.**

 **-Keep writing! It doesn't matter how many people like your thing, as long as** _ **you**_ **do. So write whatever** _ **you**_ **would like to read.**

 **(If I can - you can. Trust me on that ;) )**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"God, I hate flights." complained Hamilton when they were sitting next to the gate at the airport, waiting for their flight.

"Come to think about it, don't the Madrigals have a private jet?" Asked Sinead, frowning.

It was early in the morning and they had barely managed to get a coffee. Hamilton's blue eyes were puffy, Sinead's red locks were a mess and Fiske looked extremely tired.

"We do," Said Fiske. "but we can't be seen with Ian and Amy. They're supposed to be a rich couple, wanting to invest. They have to play their rules from the moment they land, and if we'd be seen with them, people will start asking questions at the gala, like who _we_ are."

"So they get to fly on the privet jet when we have to sit here with all the regular people?!" Hamilton rubbed his eyes. "That's a shame."

"Tell that to Amy," Said Sinead, sneaking him a smile. "She would change with you in a minute."

* * *

Amy was tapping her foot nervously before the tiny white plane. She didn't even think about dressing properly, the hour was five Am for god's sake! But yet, of course Ian Kabra was well dressed, in a black suit, looking like a million dollars while she had on only some comfy shorts and a plain shirt.

It made her uncomfortable. It made her nervous.

They were standing next to each other, in silence, waiting for the jet to get ready, and she couldn't stop tapping her foot.

She could deal with his cockiness, she could deal with his sarcasm and his smirks, but his silence was something entirely else.

Suddenly, she heard his voice. "I'm sorry."

She rose her gaze to look at him, surprised. "What?"

He didn't look at her, he kept his golden eyes fixed on the plane. "About what I said the other day about you and Jake." He almost spit the last word.

 _...What?_

She stared at him, her green eyes wide and shocked, until he sighed and returned her gaze. "What?"

"Nothing, it's just that... It's the first time I've heard you saying sorry in years." She said, confused.

He sighed and run his fingers through his black hair. She just Hated how _good_ he looked when he did that, especially in that suit. "I know."

"That's it?" She didn't know where it came from, the irritation. But it did.

He turned to look at her again, his eyes capturing her green furious ones. She looked like she just got up from bed, but the funny thing was that it _turned him on_. Her orangish bright hair was smooth and spread across her back, and her clothes, though simple, exposed her light legs and her slim frame. It was mesmerizing.

"What else do you want?"

"I don't know," She took a deep breath. What else _did_ she want? "I'm just... surprised, that's all. You never apologize."

Ian nodded. "Well, you guys just broke up, it must be still painful to you."

She looked at him, in shock again. What the hell happened to him? Was he actually being sensitive now?"Ah, no... Hmm," She couldn't help but blush. "We broke up a few months ago, right after the meeting we had before out last meeting."

"Really..." Ian turned to look at her, contemplative. He looked different to her, like if his head was full of thoughts "Well, then."

"The jet is set." They both turned to the pilot, dressed in a black uniform. "Please come in."

Ian nodded at him and turned to Amy again. She couldn't understand just _why, why, why she_ was so nervous just to look into his eyes?! Usually they were fighting, so she never really cared about that, but now...

He smirked and took a step closer to her. "Are you ready, love?"

She rolled her eyes, trying not to let him see his affect on her. "Don't call me love."

* * *

" _Damn it, damn it, damn it!"_

Ian opened his eyes. He was trying to get some rest, leaning against the window, but he just couldn't sleep.

He turned to Amy, who was sitting next to the other window, a few steps away from him. She was going over her file again and again, and he could see the panic in her eyes.

"Love, what's wrong?"

"I just can't get any of this inside my head. How did you manage to learn this?" She pointed at her page and Ian turned to look at the term she was referring to. "That's easy, VPN is a way to transfer private information -"

"No, I don't mean just that." Amy sighed. She closed her eyes and leaned into her window. "I'm talking about... all of this. I'm just not made for this stuff, you know? History is so much more interesting."

Ian chuckled. "Well, it's interesting for some people."

She looked at him, curious. "Is it interesting for you?"

He thought about it for a second. "No, but I'm good at it."

"Then why did you decide to learn it?"

"Well, it helps attracting costumers, especially from the High-Tech and business' world. The costumers love that you have knowledge in their field, without having to explain it to you. It's one of my ways to make my firm more successful."

She sighed. Of _course, what did she expect._ "I hate it. It's all so... robotic, mechanic, just... _cold_. I wish I could understand that, though. I always wanted to be good with computers."

Ian looked at her, shocked. Was she really insecure with herself because of that? Her? The golden girl?

"Amy..." He sighed and turned his whole body to face her. They were so much closer now, their legs almost touching. "It doesn't say anything about you, you are good in other stuff, you don't have to like technology. Look at Natalie, for example. She is a model and she couldn't care less about that shit." He smiled, trying to cheer her up.

Amy felt this fear of looking into his eyes again, big and menacing. Besides, she couldn't be more confused.

"Yea, I know, it's just... I'm going to look so stupid to all this smart people tonight."

Ian rolled his eyes. "This smart people you're referring to are mostly geeks with no life, but if it would help - we can go over the folders again together before the gala, if you want."

She bit her lip, and he hated that even a little movement like that could distract him. "Are you sure?"

"Yea, you don't need to worry about any of this as long as you remember your character."

She nodded. He was actually making her feel better. Feeling slightly bold, she decided to ask him about it. "Ian... hmm... why are you so... nice all of a sudden?" She looked into his eyes with courage, blushing furiously.

His heart began beating faster. "Well," He said slowly, gathering his thoughts. "We're going to do this mission together, so I thought I should try to practice some sympathy and all this crap you believe in."

He was sure she was going to be insulted by this, but to his surprise, she smiled warmly at him. "Ok, I'm glad you're trying for me. I will try as well."

He managed to nod. He had to change to conversion _now_. "But I will tell you this - You have to change before we land into something fancier. You're engaged to me now, remember?"

"What?!" She burst, her cheeks flaming. She looked down at her clothes, and then sighed. "Yea, I guess you're right. I just had had to take care of so many assignments from work before left, so I stayed up most of the night and just couldn't bring myself to change."

"You don't have to explain, love," His smirk was mischief now, his dark golden eyes shining "Really, I don't mind what you're wearing."

She was locked in his stare. She felt the blush creeps upon her cheeks, making her red again. His eyes were intense though playful at the same time, and she felt herself wanting to run away, but also wanting to stay.

"I-I should probably go change now." She mumbled and practically ran away from her seat.

She just couldn't believe herself. This guy had been a douche to her this past _years_ , and yet in less than a freaking day, here he was - making her stutter, making her nervous, making her blush and making her feel _better_.

 _What was wrong with her?_

* * *

 **Oh, wow, look at that - another chapter.**

 **I keep surprising myself haha.**

 **Hope you liked it! And if you do (Or don't) please let me know!**

 **Reviewing is fun ;)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"Do I really have to wear this?"

"Yes, Amy."

"But -"

"Everyone is going to notice us when we land, remember? We're supposed to be rich and therefore, dressed accordingly."

Amy sighed, playing with the hem of her pencil black skirt. Her white lacy shirt was delicate, but very tight. And she was wearing _heals_.

She felt suffocated, sleep deprived and uncomfortable. "This isn't me at all."

Ian smirked at her from the other side. "For what it's worth - You pull it off."

And she did. her long hair reached her waist, breaking the black&white's formality. Her face was makeup less and her cheeks were tainted with natural color. She looked tired, but she was still too sexy for her own good.

Amy blushed, averting her eyes from his. "Thanks." She mumbled.

Ian sighed and looked out of the window. "We're landing, are you ready?"

"What's your name again?"

"Very funny."

"No, seriously," Her green eyes looked at him in panic. "I don't remember your first name."

Ian stared at her. "It's Cedric. You seriously have to catch some sleep when we get to the hotel."

She nodded and yawned. "Yea, I know."

They landed and got off the plane. The wind was blowing and the sand underneath was flying everywhere. Ian helped Amy climb down the stairs and she protected her eyes, her hair flying.

Suddenly, he spotted a bunch of men staring right at them, and his hand went to her waist, tugging her to himself. "Smile as if it was the best flight of your life."

Amy took a deep breath and tried her best in smiling as if she wasn't completely panicking right now. It wasn't only the fact that she was tired - when Ian touched her and brought her so close to himself - she could smell him. He smelled like a mix of pines, clove and lavender. The fresh smell as if punched her in the face and she felt all tiredness gone. He. Just. Smelled. So. _Good_.

She glanced up at him, and saw his chin rising - he was nodding and smirking perfectly at the men who stared at them.

"I bet they'll be at the hotel tonight." He whispered to her, still looking at them.

"Yea I guess you're right." She squirmed under his touch and he let her go. An immediate feeling of guilt rushed through her, but she couldn't help it - being that close to him made her heart beat too fast, made her feel scared for some reason, and it was all too sudden.

But what really scared her - Was how good it felt.

His hand went to her hand instead, and he laced their fingers together. She took a deep breath, when he turned to her. "I'm sorry, we have to."

She nodded, biting her lip. "No... That's Ok, I'm sorry that I'm like that." She wanted the ground to open and swallow her entirely. "I'm just... a little stressed."

It was so tough. She wanted to hold him but let him go at the same time, all over again.

Ian spared her a look and sighed. "Come on, let's go."

He tugged her with him to get their belongings and then out of the airport, all the while they nodded and smiled at the people staring. When they reached the road, Ian took his phone out and put it to his ear. "Now."

Right on time, the limo that had been already waiting for them showed up, white and fancy. The driver got out of the limo and opened the door for them. Ian smirked down at Amy. "After you."

She rolled her eyes at him, but got in first.

"How can I help you?" Asked the nice receptionist. Amy noticed that she couldn't hide her awe when she looked at Ian.

Ian smirked at her. "We have an order here, I'm Cedric O'Connell, and this is my fiancé, Sophie."

Her eyes widened and she scrabbled through her files quickly. "Of course, your room number is 300, one of our finest suites. The staff will take your belongings there. I hope you enjoy your stay, you can call for anything you need."

"Thank you." Amy smiled at her, and she blinked at her in return, surprised, as if she noticed her standing there only then.

When they left the reception, Ian chuckled.

Amy sighed and looked at him. "What?"

"She was so flustered." Ian smirked at her, making sure to walk as close to her as possible.

"Yea, it's kind of your fault." Amy rolled her eyes. "She saw you and forgot how to talk."

Ian nodded smugly. "Well, I have this affect on women. On anybody, actually."

Amy rolled her eyes again as they walked into the elevator, and Ian pressed the bottom. "Well, not on anybody."

"Yea?" Ian couldn't help but stare at her, his bright eyes intense. She looked up at him, surprise at her innocent green ones. "Who, do you think, I don't have this affect on?"

Amy swallowed. _Damn_ , _how many floors until they're out of this elevator?_ It felt as if the temperature suddenly soured up and the space between them became smaller.

"Well," She said quietly, but didn't break eye contact. "You don't have this affect on Hamilton."

Ian rolled his eyes and couldn't prevent his body from coming closer to her, until her back was pressed to the wall. "And?"

She looked at him in the eye. "And _me_."

 _DING!_

The elevator's doors opened, revealing a few men and women dressed fancily. They stared at them, and Amy and Ian realized the intimate position they had been in.

"Hmm." Amy blushed and tore herself from the wall.

Ian smirked at them politely and brought his arm around Amy's waist. "Excuse us."

They stepped out and walked to their room through the long corridor, which was covered in a dark carpet. "God, it was so embarrassing." Amy mumbled, shaking her head.

Ian smirked at her. "Well, love, at least it played in our favor. They'll remember it when we meet them, tonight."

"Yea, I guess you're right." Amy nodded and they stopped before their door. Amy slipped the card in the little slit of the door. "Here it comes."

She opened the door, and put her hands to her mouth. "Wow."

Ian chuckled.

The room was huge, in black and white. There were two white sofas in the corner and a little black table between them, colorful paintings on the walls, a little kitchen in the side with a long white table and black tall chairs, equipped with everything they would _never_ need. they had also a desk, with papers and stationery, and of course they had a closet. The room could almost be too colorless, but there were colorful paintings and pillows that broke the rhythm.

There was one bed in the middle of the room, with red and white sheets, a huge heart pillow in the middle.

Amy stared at the bed, while Ian chuckled again, came behind her and put his hands on her shoulders. "Don't worry, I won't bite you at night."

Amy took a deep breath and turned to him. "Yea, hmm... It's a bug bed."

"Yea." His eyes were laughing, he looked like he had _too_ much fun with the situation.

Amy rolled her eyes. "I'm serious."

"So do I."

"Whatever," She turned again. "I'm going to catch some sleep."

Ian's grin got wider. "In those clothes?"

Amy sighed again. Why every single thing he said sounded like it had multiple meaning though it hadn't? "No, I'm going to change in the bathroom."

"Ok, love."

"Don't call me love!"

She hurried to the bathroom as he chuckled again. She changed to her comfy clothes, and when she came out, Ian was standing with his back to her, talking on the phone. "Yea, we're here."

A pause.

"In the bathroom, we are both fine."

Another pause.

"Ok. What time should we be down there?"

And another pause. "Sure, I'll let her know. Goodbye for now."

She took a step forward. "Who was it?"

Ian turned to her. "Fiske. He said that Hamilton will arrive here in an hour, and that we're supposed to be down at the hall at seven."

Amy nodded and bit her pink lip, distracting Ian once again. She was again wearing her shorts and a big shirt, and somehow she was as much beautiful as when she was wearing the skirt and top, only _different_. And he loved that.

"That gives me something like... five hours of sleep before I need to get ready."

Ian titled his head and smirked. "You'd only take one hour to get ready?"

Amy rolled her eyes and sat on the bed. "Trust me, it could be half an hour if it was up to me. Fiske gave me this fancy dress and your sister gave me a makeup tutorial on what to put and how much. I usually don't put that much effort."

 _You don't need to,_ thought Ian. _You're beautiful all naturally._

"Really? Did you meet my sister?" He asked instead.

"Yea," She yawned again and got into the blanket, smiling at him. Her green eyes were soft and she looked so comfortable that he felt an urge to just lay there with her and talk. "You knew she was around, right?"

"Of course." Ian cleared his throat. "I met her this week, she just didn't tell me she was going to visit _you_. Did she say something about me?"

Amy sighed and rose to sit, looking down. "She said she misses you, and that it's hard not to see you more often but her career is very demanding and so she has to fly around a lot."

Ian nodded. He already knew that.

Amy rose her eyes to his. "I know what it feels like, you know, because it's just the two of you in the world, like me and Dan. It feels lonely."

Damn, he wanted to go there, climb to the bed and just sit next to her. He didn't do it, though - he knew she was tired.

But it seemed like she had other plans. She patted the space next to her, indicating him to come. "Come on."

And that did it. He went there and laid next to her, looking at her all the while. She smiled at him, and his body felt on fire, his heart beating faster. He couldn't remember the last time they were so close, like that. She had always been with that dumbfuck Jake.

"Do you even hear from Daniel?" He asked her gently.

"A few times a week," Amy nodded. "He calls usually to say that he is Ok, that he is closer and closer on his way to be a Judoka, _and_ a crazy scientist. He studies in Japan, you know, that was his dream."

"I know," Ian nodded. "Natalie is traveling a lot, but I think I get to see her more than you get to see Dan. And yet, it's never really enough."

Amy smiled at him again and his stomach swirled. "We're the older siblings, you know, we always going to be protective about them."

Ian smiled. "Right."

It was quiet for a few moments, until Ian broke the silence. "Thanks, Amy."

"You're welcome." She smiled again, and Ian could see the tiredness in her eyes. He got up and smoothed his suit. "Ok, I'll go have a look at the hotel, collect some information about the people tonight, the projects and... you know. What they know about the _recipe_."

"Ok," Amy nodded. "Do you want me to come with?"

Ian chuckled. "No. We'll you be Ok here on your own?"

"Of course."

Concerned, Ian walked closer to her and downed his head until his stare met hers. "You know where your distress bottom is?"

Amy nodded, surprised and lost in his goldish stare.

"Don't hesitate to push it, even at the tiniest case, even if it's just a feeling. I'll be there in a blink, and if something happened to me - someone else will be there for you. Be careful, Ok?"

The concern in his eyes and the severity in his tone made her insides melt. "Ok, Ian."

"Good." Ian straightened his back. "Then I'm going."

* * *

 **Hey guys :) First, I'm going to respond to some of the reviews:**

 **Everyone - Thank you, thank you, thank you!**

 **MademoiselleEtincelle ****\- No, Ian didn't mean that he would like to see her without any clothes ( Though I don't think he'd mind, yea?), He only meant that he liked what she already had on haha**

 **About your next point, I write "Hello," Said Ian. "I'm Ian." and not "Hello." Said Ian. "I'm Ian." most of the time. When I don't, it's because I do it on purpose, I want the kind of break and drama that a dot gives and a coma doesn't :)**

 **39addict101** **\- Thanks for your correction! I'll keep that in mind! I don't have the power to change it haha but I'll try to do it right from now on :) Thanks a lot.**

* * *

 **Thank you guys so much for the love and support,**

 **many of you don't know how one simple review can make someone happy.**

 **If you like ( or don't like) what I write - Be sure to say so and leave a review ! Thanks a lot !**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"Jees, Hamilton, the suit looks better on you than I have expected!" Sinead said with wonder, her eyes roaming down and up his figure and her red curls jumping around.

Hamilton blushed, the penetration of her eyes and stare making him feel shy. "Thanks, Sin."

Fiske nodded approvingly. "Indeed you look great. You have everything you need? The cab is waiting."

Hamilton's gaze hardened and he nodded. "Yes, sir. What's their room number again?"

Sinead went through some files. "It's number 300. Your room is a floor beneath, number 243. Don't forget to let Amy and Ian know that you're there."

Hamilton took a deep breath. He was wearing an _itchy_ , tight and restricting black suit, together with a red tie. Overall, even _he_ was surprised with his looks, how fitting, though annoying, the suit was.

He took a deep breath and nodded. "I'll be going, then."

* * *

Ian was on his way back to their room from the lobby, when his phone buzzed. He put it to his ear. "Hello?"

"Dude, I'm here. Where are you?"

Ian fought the urge to roll his eyes. He couldn't help but feel annoyed at Hamilton's manners. "I'm in my way back from the lobby, weren't you supposed to be here _hours_ ago?"

"I've _been_ here hours ago," Hamilton sounded pissed. "I just didn't have a limo and got the regular service from the reception, which took hours. I just got my keys, I've been waiting forever for my room."

Ian sighed. "Whatever. Did you talk to Amy?"

"No, she wouldn't answer."

"... Seriously?" Ian's breathing accelerated. "She was supposed to be up by now. Where are you?"

"Near the elevator."

"Meet me at floor 6."

"Ok."

Ian closed his phone and hurried his steps to the elevator. It was probably nothing, but his heart began to beat faster.

* * *

When Hamilton reached the floor, he stepped out of the elevator and made his way across the corridor. He saw Ian marching towards, looking pissed off.

Maybe he looked good in his suit, but with Ian, it was like the guy was made to wear suits. He was tall and handsome, his golden eyes menacing, his step long and confident. Hamilton wanted to roll his eyes - It was just so easy to hate the guy.

Ian came closer and stopped before him. His eyes took him in, distracted for a second. "Hmm... I thought you'd look like a moron in a suit."

Yep. It was very easy to hate this guy.

Hamilton opened his mouth to speak, but Ian cut him off. "Come on, our room is that way."

"Why did you leave her alone in the first place?"

Ian rolled his eyes. "She doesn't need me to babysit her, she's a big girl. I'm sure she is Ok."

Something in his voice caught Hamilton's attention and he glanced at him. His hands were shaking, his breath uneven. He had never seen him like this before, only... maybe once, when Natalie's life were in danger after the battle with the vespers.

 _He must be worried sick._

Hamilton sighed and decided to keep his mouth shut. They reached the door, and after Ian opened it - they burst in.

They found Amy peacefully sleeping, curled between the red and white sheets, her long orangish hair spreads all over the bed.

Hamilton started laughing. "Will you look at that!"

Ian exhaled, feeling his breathing even, staring at the sleeping figure. He hadn't understood he was holding his breath until that moment. Carefully, he reached the bed and took the strays of hair away from her face. "Amy, wake up."

"Ohhhhh..." Amy curled even more but then yawned and opened her eyes, staring at him. "Ian? What's the time?"

Ian stared at her, stared at her jade green eyes. "Why the fuck didn't you answer your phone?"

Amy frowned and rose up. She reached her phone, which laid on the little table next to the bed. "It's off..." Amy scratched her head. "My battery must have died."

Ian took a deep breath, pissed off. "That's irresponsible of you." He almost barked at her, his eyes blazing.

Amy wanted to throw something at him, but took a deep breath instead. He was right. Then, she saw Hamilton, "Ham!"

She jumped out of bed and hurried to him, giving him a big hug. Hamilton laughed and embraced her lovingly. "Hey, Ames."

Ian couldn't help but feel irritated at this.

Amy let him go and clapped her hands, excited. "Oh my god, you look _great_!"

Hamilton blushed again. "Thank you."

Amy laughed and hugged him again. "You're going to make everyone turn their eyes to you tonight."

Hamilton laughed. "Naah. Don't exaggerated."

"Are you done, now?"

Amy and Hamilton turned to face Ian. His handsome face were angry, his arms crossed. "Because, you have only forty minutes to get ready." He looked at Amy.

"Oh, shit." Amy hurried to the bathroom. "I'll see you later, Ham!"

Hamilton laughed. "Ok, I'll go to my room now. I'll come here before we need to get down."

Ian nodded, still stiff. "Ok, be safe."

Hamilton glanced at him in surprise, but nodded before he left the room.

Ian sighed and sat down. He thought about going through his files again, but it was pointless, he already had the relevant knowledge. He wanted to do something to avoid thinking, but he had already made sure to have everything with his company settled. There was absolutely nothing to do, besides sit and wait for Amy to come out.

He just wanted to avoid thinking about her. Deeply.

All this years, he hated seeing her with _him_ , hated seeing them together, so happy and thrilled. After the fight with the vespers, he and Cara lasted for two years, but Amy and Jake lasted for almost seven, even if they had their breaks and ups and downs.

When he saw how thrilled Amy was about Jake, and saw how much he and Cara were alike, he was sure that it was it. He was sure Amy just wasn't for him.

And why wouldn't he be so sure? After everything that had passed between them in the clue hunt? She had had no clue he was supposed to kill her, but decided to let her live. He had wanted to tell her badly ever since, but something was stopping him. Fear. Fear that she would never believe him. Fear that it wouldn't change _anything_. And then she met Jake.

He sighed. She was also so different from him. Usually, he would mock this people who couldn't understand simple things, like math and computer program. But Amy... thought she didn't get this things, she was passionate about what she loved doing. She fascinated him with her simplicity, with her kindness and will to be who she is, no matter what everyone else thinks.

He heard a knock and rose to open the door, reveling Hamilton again. "We have a few minutes left."

"Yea." Ian nodded. "Come sit, she'll be out soon."

Hamilton nodded and got in. "Amy?" He called. "You Ok in there?"

"Yea!" they heard her soft voice. "This dress is so difficult, jees!"

They both laughed and sat down on the bed. "You're the one talking?" Called Hamilton with a smile on his face. "You have no idea how itchy this suit is."

They heard her laughing.

Ian waited a minute, and then turned to him. "You remember your part?"

Hamilton rolled his eyes. "I only need to look murderous and protective. I already am."

Ian nodded. "Good. And remember, if any of us press our distress bottom or say the word 'Banana', you need to interfere."

Hamilton rolled his eyes. "I know - "

That moment, Amy stepped out of the bathroom door, and Ian and Hamilton shut up and stared.

She was wearing a black short dress, covered in sparkly sequins. She also was wearing black heels, embracing her gentle feet. Her skin was pale and radiant, her red cheeks glowing. Her long, long orangish hair was spread around her back and front and she was wearing a little make up.

"Damn, Ames," Said Hamilton, looking at her up and down, "You look good."

Ian wanted to punch him in the face. He felt a headache creeping in. The minute she stepped out of the bathroom, he knew she was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen, and he knew he had a big, _big_ problem.

Now he was sure. It wasn't not out of his system, It had never left. His feelings for her remained firm, not showing any indication to leave.

She blushed to Hamilton words, smiled and said something he didn't hear, and then her eyes met his and the smile left her face.

He stared into her eyes for a minute, and she seemed lost in his. Her green innocent eyes were confused, and he noticed she was holding her breath.

 _Damn it._

"Let's go," He said, and marched out of the room.

Amy felt her cheeks burning, even her hands were shaking. She couldn't remember the last time she had that intimate stare with someone, even not with Jake. It felt so intense, and sudden, and she didn't know how to deal with it. She didn't even know someone could make her feel like this.

She wanted to punch herself for being so stupid. Ian Kabra was a charmer, he could make everybody swoon. It wasn't just her, so why did she feel so special?

She took a deep breath, pressing her lips together and starring after him.

Hamilton passed his stares between her and him, and wrapped his big arm around her. "That was weird, ha?" He tried to joke. "Ian and his moods. he actually told me to be _careful_ before! I tell you - this guy is a bit kuku."

It succeeded, she felt the tension eases and laughed; and they followed Ian together down the corridor.

* * *

 **Oh, every chapter now is a surprise for me.**

 **I honestly hope you liked it, but I'd never know if you wouldn't review ;)**

 **I knowwww you're reading this, so come on - let me know what you think! :)**

 **Love,**

 **Kuky**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hope you'll like it :)**

* * *

 **Chapter 5**

After they left the elevator, they started heading towards the great hall of the hotel. Ian walked next to Amy, and couldn't help but look at her once in a while. She was just so beautiful, her long hair swaying and her eyes shining. She kept fiddling her fingers and her cheeks were burning red. He realized she was nervous, but about what? About the mission? The party? About _him_?

This had to stop right now. He wouldn't go there with her, he wouldn't let her feel so tensed all the time.

"Hamilton," He grabbed her hand to stop her before the hall's door and she looked at him is surprise, but his stare was fixed on Hamilton. "Get inside, we'd be there in a minute."

Hamilton pressed his lips together and his blue eyes shifted between the two of them, but eventually he turned around and got inside.

Ian sighed and turned to face her. She was biting her lip, her green eyes wide and waiting.

The color of the dress, together with those sequins just did magic to her pale skin and red cheeks. She looked like a princess, or a fairy, but he knew she probably didn't feel like it at all.

He could just stand there and look at her all night, though.

He looked into her eyes and reached for her hand, lacing his fingers through hers, and he heard her breath twitch. It was so funny how, unlike him, she didn't have a clue of how to conceal her feelings.

"What's going on, Amy?" He asked her, his voice gentle. "I can see that you're tensed. What is this about?"

Somehow, something in his voice made her calm down a bit. She didn't know why, but she started to feel the stress ease a little. His eyes were captivating, she had never seen eyes like his before. Even Natalie's were less special, darker, more brown than golden. His were melted gold, sometimes brighter, sometimes darker. And always strict.

She took a deep breath, feeling her heart beat fast against her chest. "I'm... I'm not good in this kind of things, I feel like I'm getting into a world I have no clue about. I feel... uninvited. I feel like a total klutz." She averted her gaze from his and looked down.

Ian took her other hand and laced his fingers through her fingers. She looked at him in surprise and blushed, but he _smiled_ at her. His smile was so gentle, so soft. She had almost never seen him smile at all, let alone _that_ gently.

"It will be Ok," He said gently. "I'm aware of the technical details, so don't worry about that. Even if it isn't your field, you can always pretend to know what they're talking about." His smile turned mischief, breath taking. "Trust me, they wouldn't dare doubt you, especially that we pretend now to consider investing."

It actually made her feel better, and to his relief she smiled back at him. "You think?"

"Of course." His smile turned into a smirk.

Amy took another deep breath. "Ok."

It was so funny how in a matter of hours, her serenity was all he could think about. And that was the thing that had scared him when he decided to stay away from her before. He somehow had known that if he'd be too close - He might get hurt.

"Just breath and try to enjoy tonight." His hand went to her warm cheek, and Amy forgot to breath. He was looking right into her eyes, not embarrassed at all by their proximity, but also the most honest she had ever seen him.

"Thanks, Ian..." She titled her head, her orangish hair fell on her shoulder. "That means a lot to me. You're right."

"What are fiancés for?" Ian smirked again and took a step back, releasing her. "By the way," He couldn't help but say this. She had to know. "You're beautiful."

Amy blushed and looked down, and he chuckled. He offered her his arm. "Shall we?"

She looked up at him, and found the honesty still in his eyes. It made her less panicked. " _Yes_."

She took his arm, and together they stepped into the great hall.

Amy had never seen such a fancy place before. Everything was just... sophisticated and elegant. From the black silky curtains, the round tables and the tall waitresses and to the beige walls, making the place look like a dream, everything was considered and subtle.

The waitresses, dressed in black and white, were everywhere and carried trays full of food. There were also different stands with various of food - Meat, fish, salads and so.

Some of the entrepreneurs were waiting near a stage at the corner, dressed in suits and skirts and memorizing their scripts.

The potential investors were walking around the hall, getting food and talking with some of the entrepreneurs.

"Oh god, everyone here is dressed so _formal_." Amy said, clinging to Ian's arm subconsciously and looking around. Her heart was racing. She couldn't help it - the feeling that she was not suitable for this place.

Ian chuckled and pulled her to him. "And yet, you barley even tried and you look better than all of them."

Again, he made her blush to high heavens. She didn't know if he meant it or maybe it was just a part of the characters they were playing, but she couldn't help the warm feeling creeping up and down her body, making her feel dizzy.

Ian looked around and spotted Hamilton, standing near the entrance, his big arms crossed and a serious look on his face. He wanted to chuckle at this - It was as if Hamilton was taking his rule too seriously. Body guards didn't even act like that. Whatever.

"Are you hungry?" He turned to Amy again. "I can get you something before the display starts. They are supposed to start any minute now."

"No," Amy shook her head. "That's Ok, I'm not hungry."

Ian took a step back but left his hand wrapped around her. He narrowed his eyes at her. "You haven't eaten anything all day."

She smiled at him. _Was he worried about her?_ "Really, it's fine. I'll just have something after the display. Look - they already start."

They hurried to take their seats. Amy thanked god she had studied the concepts before, because now she could even recognize a few. Most of the presentations were completely Gibberish to her, but Ian actually seemed to understand the most.

"Any questions?" Asked one of the presenters, a tall geeky guy with braces.

Ian rose up. She wanted to shrink in her seat, she wanted to disappear, but she couldn't. She had to play her rule - and look confident next to him.

"How do you plan to protect the network from IP camouflage? VPN? Connections through Proxy servers?"

The answer he got was far too complicated for her to understand.

Ian smirked when the guy finished. "Thank you."

When he sat down, he rolled his eyes and took Amy's hand again. "They don't have any established plan to protect their idea from fraud. Who's stupid enough to invest in that?"

Amy looked back at him. "I don't know... _Cedric_." She tried to sound confident. "You're definitely right."

She looked around and saw that some of the other guests were watching them. _Good_.

When the display ended, they walked around the stands. Every stand contained a bunch of entrepreneurs, explaining their projects. Ian's hand was wrapped tightly around her waist as they walked. They stopped together at almost every stand, hearing the entrepreneurs out.

At some point, Amy just gave up on playing her part. Sure, she kept on being Sophie, but she decided she would give Ian, who looked actually interested, to do the boring job and just be herself - And not some computer genius.

And that changed _everything_. She felt like she could finally see this people - the entrepreneurs, for who they were - Scared and hopeful young man and woman with something to believe in, a dream to fulfill. People who were dependent on other's money - no matter their shiny suits and formal talks - to make their dreams come true.

"Look," She said with a smile to one of the young entrepreneur, and the blonde guy before her blushed for some reason. "Cedric knows way better than me about this subject and I trust him," She looked up at Ian with a smile, taking his hand in hers. Ian just stared.

"...But I'm still hopeful that your idea will work, no matter what." She finished. Her green eyes were warm and her hair swayed with her movements. Ian couldn't help but think that she was mesmerizing.

"Hmm...Ah... Hmm..." The blonde guy stuttered and looked nervously at Ian. Ian looked right back at him, almost challenging him. His arm around Amy tightened.

"Thank you very much, you're very kind, miss." Mumbled the guy.

"Isn't she?" Ian glanced at her, amused. "You don't want to give anyone false hope, love."

Amy rolled her eyes at him and turned to the guy again. "Don't listen to him, he likes to tease me all the time. Good luck!" She smiled again at the guy before they left the stand.

"What was that about?" She whispered to Ian as they walked away.

"Well, _love_ , this guys we're talking to forget their projects the minute you're approaching." He turned to her and got closer, making her take a step back. "We wouldn't want them to get the wrong idea, right?"

"Wh-What are you talking about?" Amy felt the blush rising to her cheeks. Again.

"Come on. This blonde kid was so focused on your 'Kind words'," He made quotation marks with his hands. "That he forgot to finish his speech about why his marketing business is supposed to be the next big thing." He crossed his arms.

Amy rolled her eyes, smiling. "So I was nice, what's the big deal? Nobody tries it here."

"Because there's no place to niceness, _here_. That's business."

Amy met his eyes for a second, and then, as if she was given magically a shot of courage, she slowly came closer to him, lacing her arm through his. She had no idea where this courage came from, maybe from the wine and just the relief of being herself, but it did.

"I think _this_ is nice," She said quietly and caressed his arm. She could feel this spark, the same _electricity_ soaring between them, but she didn't want it to stop. Damn it, she finally was having fun. She deserved it. "It's not _that_ bad, right?" She gripped his arm harder and turned so her body was close to his, almost touching him. Her green eyes looked down - she was still not brave enough to look into his eyes when their lips we're only inches apart.

Ian felt his heart pound hard inside of him. "What are you doing, love?" He murmured, his eyes turning dark. She was so, so _close_. He could see the shade of her hair better, the red of her cheeks better - but he couldn't see her eyes. In one swift move his muscular arm was wrapped around her, tightening her to himself, and his other hand was sent to her chin, rising it gently so he could see her eyes. " _I_ may get the wrong idea."

Amy breathed hard, not caring that he could see. She was so embarrassed, but she couldn't back out now. If there was one thing she wasn't, it's a coward.

Her green eyes looked brighter, brave, wide open and beautiful. Ian wondered what _the hell_ was going in her mind. She looked right at him, something she usually would never do, not like that, and said - "Well, it's very likely, we're in a room full of _ideas_."

He stared at her for a second, and she suppressed a laugh. _Finally_. Gotcha.

She turned around and pulled him with her, smiling all the way. "Come on, we have a few more stands to approach."

Ian chuckled and followed her to the next stand. Of course, the entrepreneurs lost all sense as she approached, just being nice and warm. She gave up absolutely every chance to seem knowing the material, but it didn't mean shit. She looked happy, swirling around and laughing. He saw the entrepreneurs, saw how shocked they were while facing her simplicity, her good pure nature.

She approached him all the while as if he was her fiancé, clinging to him and speaking to him in the right moments, but he couldn't help but feel a bit jealous. Couldn't she be a bit uglier? Less compassionate, maybe?

They just finished approaching the last stand, when a soft music started.

"Come on," Ian pulled her to the dance floor, where everyone were gathering. "I think I deserve this dance after all of my hard work."

Amy wrapped her hand around his neck softly, his one going to her waist. She could smell him again as she came closer, the same fresh and intoxicating smell that made her every cell come alive. His skin was so silky and his body so hard and strong. Her heart was beating like crazy against her chest. "I worked pretty hard too, don't you think?"

"No," He pulled her even closer, and she found herself hugging the lapels of his suit. "You had the time of your life while I had to listen to those morons, who think they're the next Bill Gates."

"Do you really have to be that offending?" She pulled apart a little to look at him. Bad mistake - His golden eyes were bright and amused, as if he got exactly what he wanted. "This people try to make their dream come true."

"Oh, right," Ian rolled his eyes and his hand found its way to her soft hair, caressing it. "I forgot, you actually believe in dreams."

Amy was so surprised she forgot to be embarrassed at their proximity. "Don't you?"

"No."

The answer was so straightforward and honest, it made Amy's heart shrink. He didn't look like it, but she could detect a hint of depression in his eyes.

"Why not?"

"This is the real world, love." His stared stiffened. "We have to make money to survive, and investing all of your savings on a dream could be a bad decision."

Amy couldn't take looking into his eyes anymore, so she clung to him again, averting his penetrating eyes and swaying to the music. His hands were soft and gentle around her hips, but he held her firmly.

"I think... I think we should follow our dreams, but do it wisely."

"And here is the smart and responsible girl I know."

Amy laughed. She couldn't understand how in one day they managed to become from enemies to... _something_ , but somehow they did. Ian... Ian was different. It was as if he was fine with exposing himself to her, and she liked what she found within. The cruel jokes and the bitter smirks were somehow long gone in her mind, forgotten.

"I missed you, Ian."

The words escaped her lips before she realized what she was saying. Her all body, trapped in his, was on fire now. She _missed_ him? _How?_ She met him every few months for branch meetings _all the time_. And every single time they met he was the same egocentric asshole who just loved voting down every offer she suggested.

Her thoughts melted away as she felt him inhale her hair, hugging her tighter. "I missed you too."

* * *

 **Well, I seriously hope you liked it.**

 **When I first started here, there were a lot of people telling me what they think. Now it's not the case anymore.**

 **So... if you like it, make sure to tell me. If you don't, I'll just do my thinking. You see, I'm not sure there's a point in updating so often if nobody really reads that.**

 **Thank & Love, **

**Kuky**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6 ( Ohh I'm so excited!)**

"Come on, this is our chance to actually get something from this place." Amy mumbled, her eyes fixed on the files in the drawer before her.

* * *

At the end of the hall, there was a door. The door led to a corridor, which branched out to three rooms.

Amy had spotted the door easily while swaying to the music with Ian. She didn't want to leave his arms, his body heat, but she had do.

"There's a door at the corner," She whispered to him, lowering her eyes. "We should check this."

She felt him tightening her to himself for a moment before letting go. "Ok. We will be spotted easily if we go there together, we have to part ways."

"Yea." Amy bit her lip, feeling the tension soar in her chest.

Ian caressed her cheek. "Do you want me to go first?"

"No," She shook her head, her strands swaying. "I'll go first, I catch less attention than you do."

He rolled his eyes. "That's not true, but whatever you wish."

Amy smiled and rolled her eyes as well. She wanted to catch him again, wanted to feel his muscular arms around her again before she goes, but she knew she had to go that moment. "Then I'll creep my way there, it's probably locked. Luckily, I have a hair pin."

Ian angled his face, his dark eyes glancing at her hair. "You never wear anything on your hair."

She rolled her eyes. "It's in my pocket, I got it just for cases like that."

"Aren't you responsible, love. Fine, You go first. If anything happens - push your distress bottom. I'll go talk to Hamilton and when the music stops - I'll find my way to the door."

She nodded and turned to leave - but he took her hand and pulled her to himself, her back against his front. "Be careful."

"Ok."

When he let her go, she found herself breathing in relief. It was just so stupid. So the guys was hot - so what?! Since when had she become such a material girl?

She had to get control - this was turning just plain stupid. And she wasn't like that.

She hurried to the door, breaking through it quite easily. She was a Cahill, after all. It could had been easier to get there if she had on a wig or something - her bright hair was too easy to spot, but she had no band with her.

She got in and took a deep breath. There was a brown rotten little corridor before her, with three different black doors, two on her left and one on her right. She took a deep breath and decided to start on the door on her right.

Getting into the moldy room, she saw a brown wooden desk, a cupboard and a few drawers under the desk. She was just taking another breath when she felt a hand touching her shoulder. She jumped and turned around, ready to scream and press her bottom, but it was just Ian.

She exhaled loudly. "You scared me." She whispered.

"Yes, I could tell." He whispered back, his eyes scanning the room. "You want to search this room? I'll take the two left."

"Ok," She nodded and he quickly disappeared. She turned back, and started searching the drawers.

"Come on, this is our chance to actually get something from this place." She mumbled, her eyes fixed on the files in the drawer before her. It couldn't be for nothing.

The drawer was filled with dust, but also with papers. Amy's eyes widened when she read them - It was a report, _a report about her family!_

Taking a deep breath, she hurried to stuff the papers inside her dress. It was uncomfortable, but she managed to make it unseen and clapped with her panties. She hurried to Ian, that was looking at the room in front of hers. "Ian!"

"Yes?" He looked at her, half of his body covered by the cupboard he was looking in. "If found something, it's in... my clothes. Papers, about the Cahills."

"Seriously?" His golden eyes widened, and Amy nodded. "I'll keep looking -"

"Wait," Ian shushed her, angling his head. "I can hear footsteps - someone's coming!"

"No! Oh god," Amy paced around, trying to stay calm. "What are we going to - _oh_."

His penetrating look stopped her, and she blushed. He looked concentrated, but straight at her - he had an idea, she knew it. Somehow, she could guess from his stare what he had in mind.

"Come on," He took her hand and pulled her with him to the entrance. He took a deep breath, and Amy didn't know - but his heart was racing.

He held her thighs and waist both of his hands and said - "Jump!"

Amy jumped and circled her legs around his torso, and he pushed her against the wall.

Her thighs exposed beneath the dress and her soft bright skin revealed. She bit her lip as she saw and felt Ian breathing hard, his eyes looking at her up and down. " _Damn it,_ love." He closed his eyes.

She circled her arms around his neck. Their proximity, his smell, his words, everything - she could think about it later. Right now, she had to think about keeping them alive.

He opened his eyes and looked at hers. She knew they didn't have a choice, but he was still asking for permission first, even though their lives were on the line. He wouldn't touch her without fully knowing it was Ok.

The thing was - she _wanted_ him to touch her. It wasn't just _Ok_. Material or not, she couldn't help it. Something between them, something just felt _right_.

She nodded, and his head immediately went to her neck, his nose nuzzling there for a bit before his lips lingered there, kissing her gently. She held back a moan - His touch just felt _so good._ But she did bring her fingers through his dark smooth hair, and he groaned. The sound made her feel even more aroused, his hands -

And then, two men and a woman barged in through the door, looking at them in confusion.

Ian pulled back from her neck reluctantly, looking at interrupters, pissed. Amy blushed deeply and took her arms off of Ian's neck. "Oh, god! We're so sorry!"

Ian wanted to laugh. It sounded like Amy was truly embarrassed and truthful with her words.

He recognized them - the woman was one of the organizers, working at the hotel, and the men were from two different Start-ups. He remembered actually being impressed with their ideas.

He let Amy down gently with a sigh. "Can't say the same here." He mumbled, and smirked at her when she gave him a pointed look from her green eyes.

One of the men sighed, glancing between them. "Mr. O'Connell, don't get me wrong, but how did you get in here? The door was locked."

Ian looked at Amy, confused. "Was the door locked when we found it, love?"

Amy shook her head, looking innocently at the people in front of them. "The door was unlock, had it been locked - We would never get in there. Maybe one of the staff opened it? I'm sorry, again." She apologized.

Ian laughed and circled his arm around her shoulder.

The woman looked at Ian, pursing her borrows together. "I don't understand, why did you get here?"

"Wasn't it obvious?" Ian smirked.

" _Cedric!_ " Amy looked at him furiously, and Ian almost believed her. Man, she was good at it.

One of the Men laughed. "Come on, Marta, you probably know how it feels like to be young and in love. We should probably check with the rest - maybe one of the staff did leave the door accidently unlocked."

The woman sighed, but not before crossing her arms and glancing between them again. "Did you look into this rooms?"

"What is that, an investigation?" Ian started to sound pissed. He took a step forward.

"Of course not," One of the men hurried to say. "We're so sorry, it's just that there are important documents to the hotel in here. Of course you meant no harm, you are free to go, and again - We apologize."

Amy bit help lip, and Ian nodded. "Alright than, We'll get going." Ian's arm snaked around Amy's waist.

Amy nodded. "Thank you again," she looked at the woman's hard stare. "It was really lovely here tonight, and we were very impressed with your ideas."

Finally, it looked like the ice melted a little in the woman's eyes. "Of course, darling."

The men, compared to that, looked like the sun was shining from their buts with the smiles they could not conceal.

Ian rolled his eyes and they stepped out of the corridor. "What now?" Amy mumbled, only for him to hear.

Ian sighed, his mind racing. "Let's find Hamilton."

* * *

"Wow," Hamilton yawned. "Have you read the report?"

Amy shook her head. "No, not yet. Ham, are you feeling Ok? You don't look so good." She touched his shoulder as he twisted his face.

They stood at Hamilton's room, which was much smaller than theirs and less fancy. Hamilton was sitting on his double bed, and every minute or so excused himself to the toilet.

"I don't know, Ames." He rubbed his face. "I feel like shit. Must have eaten something bad tonight."

"Weird," Ian crossed his arms. "Nor Amy nor me feel like this. Maybe it's something you've eaten on the plane."

"Yea, maybe." Hamilton turned green again.

"Ok, you should take off this suit and wear something easy," Amy hurried to say. "And also, take some rest."

Ian nodded and Hamilton sighed. "I guess you're right. If anything happens, you know what to do." He looked at both of them.

Ian couldn't help but smirk. "I'll say the same to you."

Amy rolled her eyes as Hamilton shot Ian a murderous glare. "Seriously, Ian?" Asked Amy, turning to face him.

Ian rolled his eyes. "I was joking."

Amy sighed and turned to Hamilton again. "Goodnight, Ham. We'll see you in the morning."

Hamilton put his hand to his mouth and ran off to the toilet again. "Close the door after you!"

* * *

"Wow, poor Hamilton." Said Amy as they entered their own room. She collapsed on one of the chairs, tired, her long hair falling at the back rest.

"He'd get over it." Ian took his phone out of his pocket.

Amy glanced at him, her green eyes irritated. "You're so un-thoughtful."

Ian glanced up and smirked. "Tell me something I don't know."

Amy didn't know why she told him her next words. It was probably the wine, she had been feeling dizzy since the moment the alcohol touched her lips, and now, even though she was fully sober, she still felt a little high, and a little braver.

"Maybe I can."

Ian glanced at her again in surprise, his eyes were bright and wide, and so _yellow_. " _What?_ "

Amy bit her lip. She still couldn't get over how good he looked like. The only reason she could bring herself to talk again was the fact that he looked confused, but even confusion looked like heaven on him. _Damn it,_ she had had more wine than she thought.

"Maybe I can tell you something you don't know, and you can tell me. You know," She got up and took a step towards him. "Like... Like the Questions Game."

Ian smirked and angled his head, his eyes amused. "You want to play a game with me?"

"Why not?" She offered him a soft smile. "Are you in?"

The title of her head, her soft pink lips, her warm green eyes - Ian didn't have to think twice. "Yes."

Amy blinked, surprised. "Oh. Hmm.. Let me just go change first."

* * *

 **Oh, boy.**

 **And here I thought this was going to be the chapter of the game itself. I guess we all will just have to wait until...**

 **THE NEXT CHAPTER !**

 **Love you guys, keep reading &writing :) **


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7 (At first, I thought this will end at chapter 4 or something, but here we are at chapter seven ! )**

When Amy got out of the bathroom, dressed in her baby pink shorts and white oversized tank top, she was really embarrassed. Her bright legs were exposed - too bright, she didn't have the tendency to tan. She just felt so exposed, and especially cause it was _him_ out there.

But it was actually _him_ that made here want to run back into the bathroom and lock herself in.

Apparently, when she changed at the bathroom, he didn't wait for her to come out and then change at the bathroom as well - he just changed right there.

When she came out from the bathroom, she just didn't expect _that_. He was with his back to her, shirtless. He was wearing sweat pants, a dark and long one that covered his long legs, but his upper body was utterly exposed.

His tanned back and shoulders were broad and muscled, and his black hair reached his nape, touching his shoulders. She had never seen someone so good looking like this before. He looked like a Greek god, tall and muscled, handsome and so strong, almost menacing.

She felt like a thief when she looked at him, as if she was stealing time starring. It was so so stupid.

He turned abruptly to her, and the urge to run away and hide returned _big time_. For some reason, his eyes softened but also went up and down her body, drinking her sight in before they found her eyes. She was biting her lip, blushing and dumbfounded.

"Ah-h..." She coughed, trying desperately to find something to say to cover for herself. If it wasn't for the wine, she probably would find some excuse and go to sleep _right now._ She was embarrassed, but the alcohol in her blood gave her courage. "That's... don't you have a shirt?"

His golden eyes blazed as he smirked and walked to her. "Why?" He asked, stopping right before her. "Does it bother you?"

"Yes." She said honestly, starring into his eyes and blushing madly. "I'm not used to seeing men half naked."

"Well I'm not used to seeing you like this either," His eyes roamed down her body again. "So I guess we're equal."

She rolled her eyes and passed him. "Like you would ever be embarrassed like me."

 _You have no idea,_ he thought to himself. "Yea, maybe not." He said instead.

The truth was, she was more beautiful than any other girl he'd been with, and without even trying. He was used to the heavy makeup, the long eyelashes, the reveling clothes. He was used to the flirtatious stares, to the sophistication and the thick insinuations.

But he wasn't prepared for honesty, for simplicity, and it caught him off guard. Her long hair was simply straight, without any effort. Her green deep eyes were clean from makeup, she never really used any.

She was so simple, not sophisticated at all, and honest. Somehow, what was inside of her made her look even more beautiful to him. She was like a light, it just radiated from inside of her.

 _And she didn't know a thing._

She rolled her eyes and smiled at him, indicating him to sit on bed besides her. "Don't you have any sweatshirt to put on or something?"

He smirked at walked to the bed, sat next to her. "No, I didn't even think about bringing some, actually."

She sighed. "Fine, I guess." She looked down, and her hair fell to her waist, hiding her face. He had a desperate urge to move it back, but he clenched his fists.

He sighed and decided to change the subject. "Do you want more wine?"

She took her hair away from her face and stared at him in shock. "More? Didn't we drink enough?"

His eyes turned mischief. "There's a really fancy alcohol in our little bar, and it's free. Come on, don't you want at least to taste it?"

He had a point. The Madrigals were paying for their stay a lot of money, at least they could spend it thoroughly.

"Ok," She launched herself at the bed. "Brink anything you like."

Ian went to the little mini bar, and got their a bottle of vodka. Amy stared at him getting back with a look of victory in his eyes and a bottle of vodka in his hands. "That's supposed to be good."

"Seriously? Vodka?" She covered her eyes. "You're going to make me an alcoholic."

"Me? Never." He put the bottle on the bed between them. "You know what?" His eyes sprinkled.

"What?" She rose to sit and looked at him curiously.

"Let's play the game you offered, but we have to answer all of the questions honestly." He clarified. "If you want to avoid answering, you have to take a shot."

She blinked at him. "Seriously?"

"Yes," He opened at bottle. "Unless you have things to hide..."

She laughed, and took the glass he offered her. He poured some of the drink to his own glass and then clicked it with hers. "Cheers."

The taste was sweet and slightly sour, Amy wanted more in an instant. "Wow that's good."

"Yea," Ian turned the bottle to have a look at the brand. "It's Lychee."

Amy laughed. "Ok, so you start or me?" She was excited now, and Ian felt a little hesitate suddenly. How did they even get here? He was in bed, with her, drinking and laughing. It felt surreal, and he was scared to death he was would say something stupid that would make her run away and pop this bubble.

"I go first," He offered, and she rolled her eyes. "Have something to hide, Kabra?"

He smirked. "Why won't you wait and see?"

She gave him a look and straightened, sitting tall. "Ask me anything."

So alcohol made her a lot more comfortable, Ian pointed to himself. She was back to being herself despite their positions. "Well," He frowned. "Why did you decide to work where you work?"

"Oh," Amy shrank a little, not expecting this question. "I learned literature and history, as you know, and I really wanted to work with something regarding books and papers. I also wanted something that would be close enough to my house, so... that's the place."

"And you're happy, there?"

She sighed. "Yes and no. I mean, not everything is butterflies and rainbows, you know. I find myself sometimes missing history."

"Why wouldn't you try and study Archeology?"

She sighed and looked into his eyes. "Honestly, I just need the money. Studying it where I want to study it costs a lot."

"Where do you-"

"Na-ah." She shook her head. "That's like... your tenth question!"

"What?!" Ian widened his eyes. "How did you count ten? It was my forth!"

"Whatever, I can't count correctly right now," She laughed. "It's my turn, now."

"Go ahead."

"How is your life going?" She asked, and her eyes turned a lot softer for some reason. "It always looks like you're so busy... how does it feel like?"

Ian pondered her question. He stretched, and Amy's eyes went immediately down to his muscular chest. They were so close right now. "It's not always rainbows and butterflies," He nodded, and looked into her eyes. She was genuinely interested. "I get mad a lot, because stupid people make me angry. I'm more impatient than I look like. Besides, it's really hard to hire females, because they always try to flirt with me."

Amy rolled her eyes and turned to lay on bed, her head rested on her hand. "Oh, I bet you're suffering."

He laughed, his eyes searching hers. "What's that exactly supposed to mean?"

"Nothing," She said, not averting her eyes. "I bet every other guy would like to be hit on like you are."

"Maybe," He agreed, smirking. "But it can be annoying and unprofessional at work. That's why we have bars this days."

Amy laughed and rolled so her face was inside the pillow. "I almost never go to bars."

He laughed. "Of course, because you're not the type of girl who likes getting wasted and find someone to get laid with."

She rolled again and her green eyes met his. "So you are?"

He wanted to smack himself in the head, but he swallowed. He had to be honest with her. "I have one night stands here and there, not a lot."

Amy rolled her eyes. "Of course you do."

"Hey, don't look at me like that." He smirked at her, and shifted on bed. His face was now close to hers without noticing. "I'm not a player even if I look like one. I actually have conditions for girls who wants to sleep with me."

"Conditions? Seriously?" Amy squinted her eyes at him.

"Not like that," He assured her. "I only make sure the girl isn't married, doesn't have a boyfriend and doesn't want a relationship."

"So what, you don't do relationships?" Amy rose to a sitting position.

 _Fuck._ "No, that's not it," He rose too, his heart beating fast. He didn't mind anybody thinking that about him, anybody but her. He sighed. "If I start a relationship, I start it right. I don't sleep with someone and then try to get to know them, most of this cases just fail."

Amy looked contemplative. "You think so?"

"I know so," He said, his eyes bright and serious. Amy found them attracting her again and again. "I don't believe in one night stands at the proper way to start a relationship."

"That's so..." Amy came closer to him without realizing it. She angled her head. "So... thoughtful of you. I didn't see that coming."

He smiled in mischief. "There's a lot you don't know about me."

She laughed. "Then it's a good thing we play this game, hah?" She played with the hem of her shorts, her long hair covering her face again.

Ian watched her and took a breath, his heart still pounding fast. What was he so nervous about?

"Well, it's your turn to ask me now." She turned to him again, smiling shyly. The smile he gave her in return was heart stopping. "Hmm..." His long fingers played with one another, and then his golden eyes turned to her. "What do _you_ think about one night stands?"

She blushed and smiled shyly to herself. "Well... I can't do one night stands, I don't think it's moral. I don't know why, maybe I just like to think that it's better to know somebody and love them before you touch them. I mean, once people tended to sleep with each other only if they were in love. Today, it's much less like that."

He nodded. "I see your point."

"You do?" She looked at him in surprise.

"Of course," He nodded, absentmindedly flexing his arms. "Touching somebody should be the last stage of your relationship, not the first. You should fall for someone's mind, not for their body."

They were both quite, deep in thoughts. Amy didn't expect him, from all people, to agree with her on this. "So... here is my question - how many girlfriends did you have since Cara?" She rose her eyes to his.

He smiled. "Not serious ones, it never lasted."

"Really? How many of them did you have?"

"Two."

"That's it?"

He laughed, and Amy found herself blushing. "Yea, that's it. Actually, that leads me to _my_ question." His eyes and voice turned serious all of a sudden, capturing hers. Amy felt the heat all over her body, even in her toes. Her eyes were captured by his. "How many guys have you dated ever since..."

Amy swallowed. "Hmm... Jake and I broke up like... seven months ago? I tried to date three guys who work at the same building with me, but it didn't work."

"Three?" He asked, interested and irritated.

"Hmm... yes, they approached me at my desk, one of them even send me flowers first." She blushed, not aware of him getting even more irritated. "But... I don't know. Maybe it was too soon, I couldn't see myself with any of them."

"Thank god," Ian rolled his eyes but breathed in relief. "Jumping at a girl just after she broke up with her long term boyfriend? What kind of people are they?"

Amy laughed gently. "I don't think they knew how serious Jake and I had been."

Ian tried to see sadness, regret, anger, anything in her eyes that would prove that she is still broken hearted and sad about that break up, but her eyes were gentle and warm, no hint of agony. He wanted to ask her about that, but he shut his mouth.

"Hmm..." She said suddenly, and Ian recalled that was her turn to ask him a question. "What would you like to change in your life?"

Ian sighed. "Most of the time, it feels like people around me want my company because of my money, my success, my looks. It has been a long time since I had a serious and honest chat with somebody."

Amy couldn't help it, she moved closer to him and linked her arm through his, caressing it softly. "It must be hard, I'm sorry."

Ian started to get his breath uneven. _What was she doing to him?_ "It's fine," he managed to say, trying to sound normal. "It's life."

"Yea, sometimes it's crappy." She laughed and turned to face him. "But it's Ok, you can always talk to me if you want to."

"Really?" His voice was lower for some reason.

"Of course." She looked at him in surprise.

The fact that Ian Kabra was lonely, was astonishing. He was always so perfect, so in control. Seeing this side of him was overwhelming to her. He was human, just like everyone else.

"Well... I would like to ask you the same question." He turned to her. "What would you like to change about your life?"

"Hmm..." Amy scratched her hair. "Well, sometimes I feel like I'm missing something important, you know? I know it sounds weird, but it's just... I don't always find myself happy doing what I do, as I first thought I would be. I guess I just want something... more exciting."

 _I could show you exciting._

The words never left his mouth, he'd be dead the second they would. He zipped his mouth smartly and nodded. "Then you should try to think what makes you feel excited, what you really want to do."

She smiled at him, and he smiled right back at her. "It's so nice to talk to you, I wonder..." She said quietly and blushed, lowering her eyes. "Ian, why have you been such an asshole to me the last couple of years?"

Ian took a deep breath. "Because you've been with _Jake_."

Amy looked at him, not getting it. "You don't like Jake?"

"I don't," He confirmed. "But it wasn't it."

"Then what was it?"

He looked into her eyes for a moment, and then reached for the forgotten vodka bottle.

Amy rolled her eyes. "Seriously? I deserve to know."

He smirked as he poured himself a drink. "it's not the rules." He took a big sip and finished it. "Now, it's my turn."

* * *

 **Ok, so I think this is enough for a chapter, it's so long!**

 **Hope you liked it! :)**

 **Anyway, I want to say thank you to all the reviewers - You warm my heart, every single time.**

 **Oh, and I told myself to check this before I update, but I honestly don't have the power haha. If there are any mistakes - feel free to let me know :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Amy jumped from the bed. "Now, I'm out."

Ian rose his borrows. "When it's my turn to ask?" He smirked. " _Chicken._ "

Amy rolled her eyes and blushed as her stare went down his body accidently. His abs were just so... clear. And his hair was muffled.

She averted her eyes quickly. "We haven't read the papers yet."

Ian got serious in a minute and rose as well. "You're right." He took the papers from the counter. Amy stepped closer to him, so they could read the papers together. Ian turned it, and they exhaled loudly together.

Ian clutched the papers stronger. "We have to report this immediately."

Amy nodded, her green eyes widened. "So the hotel is cooperating with this... Darmore group."

Ian nodded, passing through the papers. "And they already have figured eight of the clues. Look, the second paper is the recipe, all the blank spaces indicating the clues they haven't found yet."

Amy took a deep breath. "That's bad. I was kind of hoping the Darmores are just an innocent group of scientists."

Ian laughed and smirked at her, his golden eyes amused. "Maybe they are, love. Maybe they don't really know what's on the line. I don't think we have to deal with another group like the Vespers."

"Yea, you're right," Amy nodded. "If we were, they would already know who we are and attack us."

Ian nodded. "That's right, love. Anyway, I'm going to take a picture of this with the camera Sinead gave us, and send it to Fiske and her."

Amy nodded and took a step away, embarrassed suddenly at their proximity. "Hmm.. I think Hamilton has the camera."

Ian rolled his eyes. "Seriously? I'm not even sure if he is awake."

"You want me to go check?" She offered.

"No, no, I'll do it." Ian grabbed the key to their room and glanced back at her. "Stay close to your phone, Ok? I'll be right back."

She bit her lip and nodded as he left the room.

Exhaling loudly, she dialed Sinead's number quickly, her fingers trembling. She took a deep breath as she waited for her friend to pick up. To her relive - Sinead picked the phone on the second ring. "Amy! Are you Ok?"

"Hey, Sin, yes - I'm Ok," Amy took another breath and started pacing the room. "Hmm... are you alone?"

"Wait a minute," Amy heard some noise, and then quite. "Yes."

"Sinead - I'm freaking out."

"What happened?"

"It's Ian, he's... He's different." She simply said. "He comforted me before the gala, he played the questions game with me, he... He is a lot different than usual!"

"Ok..." Sinead said, trying to make sense of all of it. "Then why are you freaking out?"

"Because..." Amy's hand went through her long orangish hair. "Because he has some things he wouldn't let anyone see, some good things. He really cares, even if her doesn't show it, and he let me finally see all that, and I... I don't know." She blushed and bit her lip. "He is also shirtless. Am I crazy? I'm crazy, right?"

She heard Sinead's taking a deep breath as well. "Amy, are you -"

"I'm feeling a mix of feelings right now," Amy continued babbling. "I don't know... God, what's wrong me? This guy has been a douche to me all this time and now that he finally decided to change his mind, it's all Ok now?!"

"Amy..." She heard Sinead sigh. "Is he there?"

"Of course not."

"Where is he?"

"At Hamilton's room, sending you some papers we found at the gala."

"Ok." Sinead took a deep breath. "Listen, Ian... is complicated, Ok? I know it sounds weird, but I don't think He has been acting this way because of you."

"What do you mean?" Amy frowned, her fingers still brushing her hair.

"Well.." Sinead has been the only one who could talk to Ian without his dismissing glances and frowns. She had become something close to friends over the years, and she slowly started to learn some of his behavior. "Well... Considering everything, I think he just didn't want to get hurt."

"What?!" Amy exclaimed, clutching the phone even tighter. "Why the hell would I hurt him?"

"Amy, you seriously have no idea?"

"Yes!"

She couldn't expose Ian's feelings to her. It wasn't her place at all. "...Then I'm sure you'll figure this out. Oh I just got the papers! Gotta go."

"Wait, Sine-"

The call ended and Amy sighed.

In that moment, Ian marched into the room, signing. "All done, she got the papers."

Amy nodded, blushing. "Hmm... that's good. Tomorrow we should investigate more, I guess."

Ian's head rose and his eyes found hers. She was standing there, right in front of the bed, blushing madly. Her green eyes looked shy and insecure. "Is everything all right? Did something happen while I was gone?"

"No, no..." Great, now she had to lie. She was a horrible liar. "I was just on the phone with Sinead, and she likes to tease me about... a lot of things."

He was tempted to ask, but didn't. If this was about Jake, he really didn't want to know. "Fine." His eyes left her and reached the bed. "I think we should go to sleep, it's late."

"Yea," She took a deep breath and cleared her head. "You're right."

He glanced at her again. She still looked embarrassed, gazing at the bed with her cheeks tainted red. She looked so beautiful. He was tempted to imagine they were in a different scenario. He'd take her here on a vacation from work, and they would...

"I can sleep on the couch, if you want." He said gently, and she rose her eyes to his in surprise. The gentleness of the way he looked at her made all her nerves slow down, made her relax. She found herself coming back to herself again, forgetting the hysteria completely.

"No, that's... that's Ok, really," She smiled at him and he felt his heart picking up its race. He was trapped at the warmth of her eyes. She picked up the blanket and got under it. "Oh, we had a long day didn't we," She yawned. "We so deserve this night sleep."

he chuckled and did the same as her, getting under the sheets. "Yea," He tapped the switch and the light went off. "We certainly do."

* * *

"Thank you very much."

Amy rolled in bed, the sheets wrapped around her body, as the voice woke her up.

She opened her eyes and saw Ian receiving a big tray full of food from an old lady, probably one of the hotel's staff. Hamilton went in right after her, and she greeted him and went out, bowing gently. Both Ian and Hamilton were already dressed - Amy felt bad about herself, she hadn't even come out of bed yet.

Hamilton peeked at the food and whistled. "Damn, that looks good."

"Considering the level of the hotel, yes," Ian nodded. "What's more important - they have soya dishes for Amy."

"What about Amy? Is she still sleeping?" Asked Hamilton.

"No," Amy groaned, and they both turned to face her. She rose a bit and stretched. "At least we have some fancy food - what do we have there?" She jumped out of bed and hurried to take a look at the trey.

Studying the food, her green eyes swept from one dish to another. There was French Toasts, bacon, jam, peanut butter, Nutella, steaming, chubby pancakes, bread, different cheeses, vegetables and fruits, butter, bagels, Omelets mixed with herbs, cream, pieces of what looked like bacon made of soya, tea, coffee and hot chocolates. "Wow."

Hamilton chuckled. "Someone's hungry, hah Ames?"

Ian chuckled too as he set up the black long table at the kitchen. Hamilton and Amy hurried to help him. "You actually haven't eaten properly yesterday."

Amy swallowed. _Did he notice everything?_ Outwardly, she laughed. "Yea, I'm starving. God, I could use some pancakes with peanut butter and Nutella."

They sat to eat, and Hamilton laughed as he saw Amy. She looked so enthusiastic about her food, it was captivating. "Ames, you look like a little kid." He laughed.

Amy laughed too. She felt like a little kid, picking up food and setting her own meal. She build her pancakes so carefully, adding bananas, jam and caster sugar on top. "I feel like it."

Ian laughed as he finished making his black coffee. His plate was full of omelet, bread, vegetables and cheese.

"Listen," He said, looking at both Amy and Hamilton. "Sinead and Fiske are checking the papers with more Madrigal detectives, and we need to keep doing our task."

Hamilton sighed. "I wish we could just enjoy our food in piece."

"First, we need to get the papers back to where we found them." Said Ian. "Second, we need to sniff around a bit more. The Darmores were yesterday at the gala, so they must be staying the night here. We need to figure out who are they."

Amy nodded, her smart eyes deep in focus. "There were only two groups that caught my eyes yesterday. The one that is trying to develop this new medicine for Fibromyalgia and the one who's trying to develop this smart robot."

Ian nodded. "Yea, I see your logic. The other startups are less likely to be interested at the 39 Clues."

Hamilton passed his stares between Amy and Ian. "So what's the plan?"

"I will get this papers back today," Said Ian confidently. He didn't want Amy to come back to the crime scene. If he could do it himself and keep her out of danger, that's what he'll do. "You two can have a walk around the hotel and try to see what we can get."

"I think it's better if Hamilton comes with you, actually," Said Amy gently, her eyes locking with his. "Going back there... I don't know. It might be dangerous, they already suspect us."

"Yea, I have to agree," Hamilton twisted his face. "Though I'd rather go with Amy. No offence."

Ian rolled his eyes. "Then you can, I wouldn't need your help."

"What's that supposed to mean, that you can handle this better than I can?" Amy felt suddenly pissed.

"No," Ian put his fork down. "I just think that we don't know what to expect. This guys could jump on you or corner you from behind, while I _know_ what to expect from this dark place."

Amy rolled her eyes. "You just made that up, it sounds like an excuse."

"God guys, don't fight again." Hamilton groaned. "If you don't decide, than I will. Ian, I will accompany you for a while until you get there safely, you don't know - maybe they put some guards now at this... storeroom you founded. And then, I'll go to accompany you, Amy."

Amy thought about it for a second. "Ok."

Ian sighed. "I don't like it, but fine."

* * *

 **God, you see this description of food I put there? I want it so much O_O**

 **Maybe I could cook some peanut butter and Nutella pancakes... If I knew how to !**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey :)**

 **So after I finished writing the last chapter I went and made myself a really tasty peanut butter and Nutella sandwich ! I also found an incredible recipe of Nutella pancakes, I'm going to make some one day and tell you guys how it went :)**

* * *

 **Chapter 9**

They went out of the room, pacing to the elevator.

"You know," Said Amy to Ian, irritated. "I don't need protection more than you do."

Ian rolled his eyes. "Seriously, Amy? Just let it go."

Hamilton, who was walking a bit ahead of them, sighed dramatically. "Personally I think both of you weaklings need protection."

Amy crossed her arms, not satisfied. Usually she wouldn't be that dramatic, but the fact that Ian was just _so_ sure she needed more protection than he did? It pissed her off. He was **not** a better agent than her!

She was bothered by the fact that it bothered her so much.

Ian noticed her stiffness but she rolled his eyes. If she wanted to act like a baby - _Fine_ , as long as she's safe.

When they stepped out of the elevator, Hamilton turned to Ian. "Do you know how to get there? You have everything you need? I have the camera and microphone."

Ian nodded. "Me too. Yes, I know the way."

His stare went to Amy as he was speaking, though he was speaking to Hamilton. Just the thought about leaving her alone _terrified_ him. He knew she could protect herself, she was Amy Cahill for god's sake, but still. He had a bad feeling about that.

"I guess we'd see you later, Ames," Hamilton turned his blue eyes to her and smiled. Amy smiled immediately to his goofy grin and hugged him. "Sure."

Ian felt irritated that she didn't want to hug him too, but he got that. "Take care, don't do anything stupid."

Amy wanted to punch him. He looked so good in his grey suit, but it only made her more upset. "Yea, you too."

She turned away and her orangish hair swayed after her.

Ian sighed as they walked away. "She is stubborn as hell." He fixed his clothes.

Hamilton glanced at him, amused. "Kind of reminds me of someone, don't you think?"

* * *

Amy walked around for a bit, alone in this beautiful big hotel. Everything in here was so well built, in good taste. She sighed as she suddenly noticed the guys from the night before at the gala, the guys that wanted to invent a smart robot, that could build, all alone, like a human being, a tower or a house.

She sighed as her hair swung forward and hid her cheeks. Why was Ian being so annoying? They were finally having some good time together... And what a good time...

She stopped pacing as she realized she was back at the lobby. The white floor and grayish glittery walls welcomed her with fresh air right from the huge air conditioners' entrances. She breathed in as worry began forming in her stomach. Ian was so confident in himself all the time - She really wished not to see him fall. The fear that he and Hamilton might get caught was terrifying. It was stupid, he obviously knew what he was doing, and still...

"Miss, are you lost?"

She breathed in surprise and jumped in place. She turned and saw one of the Hotel clerks, in black suit, looking at her in confusion.

"No, no, hmm..." She blushed, trying to think of an excuse, and then it just popped in her mind - "I'm Sophie Martin, actually. I was here at the gala last night."

"Oh, yea," The clerks' eyes lit up. "Of course, how can I help you?"

"I was wondering," She twirled her hair, trying to flirt but not too much and was actually screaming inside. "Do you have a chart of each start up and its members? My fiancé and I would like to have that in order to invest."

"Hmm," The clerk looked really uncomfortable. Amy was feeling bad for him, but she didn't have a choice. "Its' smarter to invest in something which in you know the people who are involved," She pressed. "And we're talking about a lot of money."

That did it. "Yes, miss. Can you follow me please?"

She took a deep breath and followed him behind the reception desk, until they reached one of the rooms.

The room was nothing like the rest of the hotel.

It was dusty and untidy, full of drawers and shelves and cupboards. The clerk was searching at one of the drawers, until he found what he was looking for. "Here," he gave Amy the list. "Hopefully, you guys will take the right decision."

"Thank you," Amy smiled at him and took the papers. Taking a deep breath, she asked "Do you have a toilet here maybe?"

"Yes," The clerk nodded, pointing at one of the sided wooden doors. Suddenly, his beeper started beeping. 'Oh, shit," He said, looking at the little black device.

Amy's heart started pounding, that was her chance. "You can go," She said nonchalantly with a smile. "I remember the way back."

"Are you sure?" He looked at her, his eyebrows furrowed. He suspected _nothing_.

"Yea," She smiled at him again and he smiled right back at her. "Ok, thank you, miss. I'll see you around."

When she was sure she was finally alone, she took a deep breath. She spotted a few cameras, but it was easy to escape their path. She started entering some of the rooms, finding documents and dust, until she reached the last one.

Opening the black door, she stepped into the dark. After she found the switch, she turned on the lights - and reveled something she never thought she would see.

A _huge_ robot, reaching almost the ceiling, was right in the middle. It had multiple arms and legs, all made of rich metal. There were so many bottoms at each arm and at the length of his body. Instead of a head, the robot had a little cape, that inside was a seat for a controller.

She took a deep breath again, just as the door slammed shut behind her.

"NO!" She called and tried to escape, panicking. Her orangish hair flew all around as she banged at the hard door, in vain.

 _Don't panic, Don't panic,_ she told herself over and over again. She started to feel cold, and realized the temperature in the room was low, probably so the electronic stuff would not heat up and ruin themselves.

Using her phone in that place could be risky. Maybe the room was monitored and one of the machines here would catch her IP address, or something.

She looked for her distress bottom down inside her shoe and pressed on it. Now, she just had to wait, and try to stay warm.

* * *

It was not long before both Ian and Hamilton burst into the room, god knows how. She felt cold, but it didn't reach the point when she was shivering.

"Amy!" Was the first thing she heard. Strong, tanned arms around her was the first thing she felt. Ian crushed her to himself, one hand on her waist and the other around her head, cupping it.

It was all over too fast. She could feel and hear him breath hard for a moment, and then he moved her away from him a bit so he could look at her. "Are you Ok?"

"Y-yea..." She stuttered, blushing to his stormy gaze. It was kind of not nice, but she wished for a second that Hamilton wouldn't be there, watching them. She wanted to get lost in his eyes for a moment or two, before she has to break her brain in order to figure out what the hell is going on.

"We were worried," Hamilton's eyes drifted to Ian, who took another step back and released her, and then back to her. "...As you can tell. What happened?"

Amy took a deep breath. "Guys, look." She turned and gestured at the huge robot.

Ian nodded. "So the people from this start up are working with the Darmores."

Hamilton whistled, checking the robot in wonder. "Gee, I've never seen things like that before, only in movies."

Amy nodded and smiled at him. "Yea, it's pretty crazy, huh? Thank you guys, for coming."

"You got locked here?" Ian crossed his arms, his stare hard and cold.

How come for one moment he was so nice and warm and then the second stiff as ice? What was the matter with him?

"It wasn't on purpose, you know," She rose her chin, her green innocent eyes hardening.

Hamilton sighed. "Come on guys, not again."

Amy crossed her arms too, her long hair covering them. "I had to do it to get us the list of the people from yesterday at the gala attached to which idea they are belonged to. And figure out who are the people we need to observe."

Ian couldn't even bare looking at her right now. She was so beautiful, so confident despite her foolish insecurities. If something had happened to her...

"You should never have done this on your own," His voice was still stiff. "Your skin is ice cold."

Amy hugged herself harder at his words. Whatever. _Whatever_.

"I'm fine," She shot back, her eyes leaving his. "How did you guys get in here?" She asked Hamilton.

"From the back door," Hamilton grinned. "We had to break in."

Amy sighed. "Oh, good. So can we get out of here? I have the list."

"How did you get it?" Ian's eyes turned dark golden, his arms still crossed.

Amy titled her head. "I asked one of the clerks here."

"And he just gave it to you?"

"Yes."

Ian looked obviously doubtful.

Hamilton rolled his eyes. "Well she is a pretty girl, chill dude."

When nobody said anything after that, he sighed. "Come on, let's get out of here."

When they reached Hamilton's floor he turned to them. "Want to take the rest of the day off? Just chill? We can start working again this evening."

"Sounds good." Said Ian, and Amy looked at him in surprise. Usually he was a workaholic, can't let go of a task if it isn't finished and well done.

The thing she didn't know, was how scary for _him_ was the fact that she got trapped in a room, alone. They already got most of the information they needed, and they had another day to spend at the hotel. Taking some time off actually sounded good to him.

Besides, something between him and Amy felt... different, odd. It was a low, strong, tension that could go bad and go good. He couldn't stand it. It rattled him, shook him. This thing between them that he thought was over years ago, was very much alive and burning. He didn't know what Amy was thinking about it, how she was taking it, but for one thing he was sure - She felt that too. She had to. Something that strong couldn't be one sided. He knew she knew that something was beyond friendly between them, unexpected.

"Yea, I agree." Said Amy quietly, confused. So... Ian and her are going to be alone now? Just them in the tiny room at the floor above?

"Want to go to the pool, then?" Hamilton offered.

"YES!" Exclaimed Amy, and blushed as both of them stared at her. "Hmm... it could be fun, you know."

All she wanted was to avoid being alone with him, at least for a bit. It was intimidating, and she was confused.

She was drawn to him, she couldn't deny this. He was always and still is dreamy as ever, not only his looks - but also his personality.

But she was never a one for the bad boy. She was a good girl, and she didn't believe in clichés. Jake was a nerd, just like her. Isn't she supposed to end up with a nerd?

And was Ian Kabra really a bad boy like everyone thought?

They marched to their room in silence, and got it in silence. After they entered, Ian turned to her. "Can I look at the list?"

Amy took the list out of her pocket and handed it to him. His special eyes ran over the papers quickly, until they stopped. "I see. I remember them, it was three men and two women from California."

Amy bit her lip, nodding. "You want to continue searching now?"

"No," He shook his head and took his phone out to take a picture of the papers. "I will just send them and we can go down."

"Ok." Amy nodded, and then his eyes turned up and caught hers again. "Is everything Ok, love?"

She had to roll her eyes. "We're back to that?"

"Always."

This answer, and the way he looked at her caught her off guard. She was locked in his eyes, until he moved his. "Do you have a swimsuit?"

She tried not to stumble. What? "Yes, I'll go change."

She changed into her bikini and put on a blue sundress, taking a deep breath.

When she went out of the bathroom, and saw him standing a few steps from her, waiting for her.

He was wearing a black simple shirt and a black and orange swimsuit-pants. He looked so tall and serious and she didn't know why - but she wanted to erase that seriousness.

She wanted him carefree, joking, just like he was the night before - playing with her.

Suddenly, god knows how, she saw in his serious eyes a hint of depression, of tiredness and loneliness. Her own green eyes turned softer, and she walked until she was closer to him, close enough to touch. "What's wrong?"

His eyes surveyed her for a moment, taking in her form. The simple dress she wore on emphasized her orangish hair, and her eyes were soft. Gone were the bickering, the eyes rolls, the cynicism. She was being real with him, no walls. It was his chance to be completely real with her in return.

"I was worried about you, before," He said quietly, his eyes catching hers. The sincerity in them made them, made him - only the more breathtaking. "I didn't mean to make you feel upset."

 _Oh_. She couldn't help it. With trembling hands, she got closer and hugged him, pulling him to herself. When was the last time someone was worried about her that much?

"I'm fine," she murmured, and he instantly wrapped his arm around her. "Thank you for worrying about me."

His body was that close to hers - she had crazy things passing through her mind. Taking a deep breath, she pulled away and smiled at him, trying to conceal how shaken touching him like that actually made her.

"You're so beautiful." He suddenly blurted, She looked at him for a second in surprise, and then averted her eyes and blushed. "Thank you, Ian, I..."

"Yes?"

She had to do it. She had to. "I was worried about you too, earlier."

His eyes darkened. "That's good, then."

She bit her lip. "Yea."

Suddenly, they heard wild BOOM BOOM BOOM knocking on their door. "GUYS! WHY THE HELL DOES IT TAKE YOU FOREVER?!"

They both laughed. "Come on, love, we deserve some free time." Ian smirked as they walked to the door.

Amy laughed. "Don't call me love." She said gently, but smiled at him.

* * *

The pool of the hotel was huge. Clear blue water, the sun peeking and painting the blue and green of the water and grass, parasols, deck chairs - Everything felt like a vacation.

Amy's green eyes shined, she felt excited. She had been working so hard, she could use some fun time. "That's amazing. I haven't been to a pool for so long."

"Really now," Ian smirked at her, taking off his shirt. "That's sad."

Amy would let him hear some sarcastic answer in return, but... he just took off his shirt. She had to focus on removing her eyes.

"I'm going for a swim," Said Hamilton, removing his shirt as well. "Are you guys coming?"

"Yes." Ian nodded, and Amy could see a few girls ogling him with not even a speck of shame.

She felt sick. "I'll stay here," She sat on the towel on her deck chair. "I have something I want to read."

"You sure, Ames?" Hamilton looked at her with his blue puppy dog eyes.

"Yes," She smiled at him. "Maybe I'll join later."

The boys went and jumped in the pool, and she started to read her book, but her thoughts led her somewhere else.

She saw Ian talking to some girl, a pretty brunette with high cheek bones and glossy hair. She was tall, almost as tall as he was, and had a perfect tan and body.

Ian was laughing at something she said, and she smiled and flashed him her perfect dimples.

Hamilton was far away, buying ice cream and talking to the cashier.

She took a deep breath. Was Ian _stupid?_ He was supposed to be _engaged_! to _her_!

She put down her book and removed her dress. That caught Ian's eye right away. His golden eyes went from looking at the model next to him to staring at _her_ instead.

She felt insecure, as always. She couldn't help it, being so exposed never felt natural to her, no matter how many girls felt comfortable being seen half naked.

Her purple bikini wasn't the sexiest, but she knew she looked good. The bottoms had little knots at the sides, and the top had one in the middle.

To Ian, she looked heavenly.

He was going to tell the girl who started chatting with him to go away anyway because he was _engaged_ , but Amy's reaction was priceless. She obviously saw him chatting with her, no matter that they only talked for a minute, and thought he was an idiot for he was supposed to be engaged.

For some reason, it made him smile. _Could it be that she was jealous?_ _Thank god._

"I'm sorry, I have to go," He said to the girl, cutting her off. "My girl is right there."

Without sparing her a look, he dove in the water and swam across until he reached the edge of the pool, where Amy was dipping her toes.

His head popped out of the water. "Are you coming in?"

Amy looked hesitated. "I don't know, the water is a little cold."

Ian's heart beat faster. "Come on, I'll keep you warm."

She took a deep breath and slowly descended to the pool, shivering, the tip of her hair getting wet.

"Come here." He told her immediately and pulled her to himself, hugging her hard.

"Thanks, Ian," embarrassed but also thankful, she wrapped her arms around his neck.

He could feel the other girl's stare on his back, but he didn't give shit.

Suddenly, Amy pulled away from him, a frown on her innocent face. "Tell me - why were you flirting with that girl? You can do whatever you want, you know, but right now we're kind of on a mission."

Ian's eyes glistened in mischief. "Right," He took her hand and pulled her to the other half of the pool, tightening her to the wall. They were both painting when they reached it. His arms went around her waist, touching her gently. "We're on a mission, and inside a pool together, and you're... you're my fiancée." He smirked, his eyes bright. "Which means, we have to keep pretending we're together." He brought her a bit closer to himself, her face were in the level of his chiseled chest.

Amy looked at him, irritated. He loved every second of it. "It doesn't explain why-"

"I wasn't flirting with anybody," He rolled his eyes. "She came to me and asked me if she knew me from somewhere, I said no. That's it."

"Yes? So why were you _laughing?_ " She crossed her arms.

"Well," He looked at her, amused. "She said that anyway, my fiancée must be an idiot to let me wander alone, because I'm _hot_."

Amy rolled her eyes, and he laughed at her reaction. "I love it when you're jealous." He murmured to her forehead, and then touched his to hers.

"Who said I was jealous?" She said, looking him in the eye, not giving up.

He could play this game. "Well, Sophie was obviously jealous."

She blushed and laughed, but her laugh died as she saw the brunette girl still staring at them.

"You know what? Maybe she was." She said suddenly, and Ian's eyes widened in shock. "Maybe now you need to make it up for her." Her eyes found his, darkening.

Ian immediately pushed her harder against the wall, breathing hard. "And how Would I do that?"

Amy ran her fingers through her wet hair, and he wanted to scream. It felt like she was tasting his will power. Seriously, she was the only thing he could focus on. "We have to play the game, right? What would Cedric do?" She was on her tiptoes now, her hand finding his hair.

Every cell of hers was on fire. She was so close... She felt like they were on their own bubble, but also like everyone else were watching the bubble. She was glad they were pretending, it felt... different. So different from everything she was used to.

"Cedric..." He whispered to her, though she could see lust in his eyes, she also saw gentleness. "He would kiss you, in front of everybody, like the rich and arrogant guy he is. Stating his territory, because his girl is so gorgeous and the one thing he is scared of is losing her. He would make the world see what's _his_."

Amy nodded, biting her lip. Her hear was racing, she was scared but she wouldn't step back. For the first time in _years_ , she felt _alive_ , and this thing going on between them right now felt _dangerous_ , _risky_ , adventurous. He made her _feel_ , more than anybody else could make her.

"Then..." Her hand touched his hard chest, she could feel his heart racing. Her eyes looked so bright, so happy but also challenging. "What are you waiting for? If we want to make them believe us..." She looked down.

"I don't..." He was whispering. His voice was so honest that she had to look back up to his eyes, which were the most honest she had ever seen them. "I don't want to do it if _you_ don't want it, not even for the mission." His eyes were intense. "I don't want it like that, not when it's not real. You're too important for me."

It sounded like a confession, and she suddenly understood he was right. He cared for her, really cared for her, even when he'd been a jerk to her. He never stopped. For him, this was real. But it was _her_ he wasn't sure about.

She is _falling_ , _falling_ , and she doesn't know how to stop but she do know he'd catch her so she wouldn't get hurt.

She breathed hard, looking into his eyes. "What if I _do_ want it?"

His eyes widened, so vulnerable yet confident and soft, still protecting _her_. "You do?"

"..." She bit her lip before replying, sensing this is going to be it. This is going to change _everything_. "What if... what if I wasn't only pretending?"

His arm tightened around her, his lips inches from hers. His heart was racing, not fully acknowledging her words. But he wasn't going to miss that chance. "I'd kiss you, then."

There was nothing she wanted more at the moment, and all common sense left her brain. "Then, kiss me."

She felt herself being pushed a bit harder against the wall, and then both of his arms tightened around her hips and his mouth found hers.

She wanted to moan in pleasure because this felt _incredible_. How did he know to kiss like that? She pressed her body closer to his until they were pressed against each other and he groaned in pleasure, his hands going up and down her back, but not lower.

Even in the heat of the moment, he wouldn't let himself get carried away, he was still thinking about her, about how she would feel.

His mouth wasn't aggressive but hard enough to make her feel dizzy.

When they broke apart, they were both panting hard. His wet hair was wild from her hands, and he looked... so much like a cat, with those eyes, the animal he couldn't stand.

"This isn't a game for me," He said, still painting, caressing her cheek. "And I don't want it to be a game for you."

She opened her mouth to reply, but then Hamilton showed up, looking down at them from the surface, holding happily three Magnums in his hands. "Hey guys," He said cheerfully. "what did I miss?"

* * *

 **You asked - you got.**

 **Another make out scene, just for you :)**

 **Sorry for not updating lately, I got a new job and I'm working most of my time. I seriously worked 10 hours at Thursday, not including the time it took me to get there and then back home.**

 **Anyway, I hope you liked it :)**

 **Damn, now I want a Magnum. I eat too much chocolate.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10 (!)**

When they reached their door, Ian breathed in relief but also felt his heart begin to beat faster. She was going to question him, any minute now.

As soon as he closed the door after them, she turned to him. Her beautiful green eyes were insecure, sensitive, she looked lost and unsure. All he wanted to do was erase that. All he wanted to do was make her smile again, see the warmth in her eyes. But he knew this was it.

"You have feelings for me." She stated and bit her lip, not meeting his eyes.

"You have feelings for me too." He said, his eyes fixed on her. It didn't matter that she couldn't even look at him, all he could do was stare at her.

She took a deep breath, still not meeting his eyes. "Ian... Why have you been such a jerk to me all this time?"

His eyes softened. "Because you've been with Jake."

She shook her head and took a few steps closer to him. "That's what you said last night."

This time, her eyes reached his, demanding.

His breath was stuck in his throat. "I didn't want to get any closer to you while you were with someone else."

Her eyes started to tear up, but still were looking at him in shock. She obviously didn't understand. "Ian..." She took a deep breath again and wiped her eyes. "You've been a jerk to me for _years_."

He sighed, there was no escape. "Have a seat, love."

She sat on the bed, and he sat in front of her on the bed, looking gently into her eyes. "When Natalie was in the hospital after the accident with the Vespers, you were always near. You didn't leave my side, you always kept coming to the hospital, wanting to know if she would make it. She was so close to death, and I... I cherished every moment of you being there. You made me stronger, you made me realize I didn't have to be alone." He said gently.

He paused for a minute, and then continued. "...Cara was there too. Back then, I didn't think of anybody as my girlfriend, I just knew she was the one. All I could think about was Natalie. And when Natalie finally got better... I started to notice the world again. For me, the situation was very clear. There was no one who has been through what I've been through like Cara. No one. She knew exactly how I felt, and she was there, and she was lonely too. She had to be the one. But... I started to feel... jealous, every time I saw _you_ with _him_. He came so often with you to the hospital, and when I started noticing... I couldn't help but _hate_ it. Without knowing it, I decided to stay away. I lost my chance with you, and obviously anyway you weren't for me. I used to think you'd never get me like she does. You'd never understand everything I've been through like she does.

So I stayed away, and two years passed... and then one day, after a Cahill meeting which Jake and Cara attended with us, Cara and I came back home in silence, and she removed her jacket and put it on a chair. Then, she turned to me and said - 'You still want her, don't you?'."

Ian took a deep breath, meeting her shocked eyes. "I told her I had no idea who she was talking about, and she told me to stop playing games with her and with myself. She wasn't even angry or furious about that, just factual. She said she tried to figure out why it wasn't working well between us, why we were fading away all the time, and that she finally understood. She said she couldn't be with me when I'm obviously still in love with... you."

They were both quiet for a moment, but then Ian decided to keep talking. "I didn't think she was right, at first. and even if she was - So what? You were taken. I was in denial, I didn't want to even think of the possibility of still having feelings for you. What would come out of that? Nothing. You guys were obviously going to marry. I saw the way he looked at you. He knew he couldn't make any mistakes, or else there would be someone else in the picture for you."

Amy exhaled, shaking her head. "All... all this time?"

Ian breathed out. " _yes_."

"And you never..." She rose her eyes to his. "You never said anything."

"What could I say? You guys were it."

"Well, not," She looked upset for some reason. "We _broke_ _up_."

They were both quiet again.

"I didn't see it coming," He said eventually. "And the years passed, and all I wanted was to move on. It was just a stupid crush on a stupid girl, for god's sake. So.. I tried to keep my distance. And that's your answer."

Amy closed her eyes. "Ian, I... I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything."

She took a deep breath, and Ian took the opportunity to gaze at her. Her ginger hair was wet, wetting her blue sundress. Her pale cheeks were bright red and her eyelashes black and long. She was beautiful.

He knew he would have to tell her the truth eventually.

She opened her eyes again. "I feel like an idiot for not knowing."

He rolled his eyes, flexing his arms' muscles in the process. "I'm a Lucian, you could never know without me letting it show."

It made her smile, he managed to lighten the mood so easily. He got serious again suddenly, and then looked into her eyes. "Amy, I'm sorry."

Just looking at him right now felt like a dream. So many girls would kill to just take her place right now. He was gorgeous. He didn't put on his shirt, and his muscles kept showing. His eyes were intent and serious.

She nodded, trying to stay focused while staring at those eyes. "I accept your apology. I understand why you did what you did, though I never have before."

"I'm sorry about Korea too," He kept going. "I was supposed to kill you, and locking you guys at the cave was the thing I had to settle first with Natalie. Everything was crazy back then. I had to make sure you had a chance to make it out alive, and it was the only option. The other option was getting killed along with you guys."

She started crying. _Damn_ _it_. "So..."

"And I never left before I saw you getting out of there." He proceeded, his eyes blazing. He got closer to her without knowing, taking her hands and making her look into his eyes. "Listen to me, I _never_ left. It wasn't a game for me, you were never a stepping stone, you were the first fucking thing that mattered in my life."

She sobbed without control and he brought her to his chest, his arms caging her close.

After a few moments, Amy calmed down and pulled away from him gently, blushing. "I'm sorry, I..." Being that close to him was messing with her head. "I guess I've never let that go before."

He smiled at her and took a piece of her hair back. "That's fine, I haven't either."

She giggled and then looked in his eyes again, hesitated. "Ian... What do you want?"

His eyes darkened, and she felt every cell in her body come alive. "You really don't know?"

She felt herself breathing hard. This was not like her _at all_. "Tell me."

"You."

And that was it. She got closer and kissed him lightly, as if she was only trying it. She pressed her lips to his gently and put her hand on his hard chest, her other hand went to his shoulder.

the heat was too much, he groaned under her lips. One of his hands went to her waist, keeping her tight to himself, and the other went to her hand, taking it in his and holding it up.

By instinct, he turned her and pushed her against the soft mattress, his hand keeping hers above on the pillow and his lips and body pressed to hers.

Her soft pant was swallowed by his mouth, and if she could she would squeal in happiness because ever since their kiss earlier, all she wanted to do was kiss him again.

It was like magic, like a spell. She could get addicted to it easily, just the feel of his lips, his groans, his body. Believing that a guy that looked like him could be interested in her was near ridiculous.

Of course, in her brain, she knew she looked good. But for some reason, the nerdy part of her had a better control on her confidence, and she never really felt _attractive_.

...But she felt like Ian was looking more into who she was, rather than how she looked like anyway.

His tongue was licking at her lips and then diving into her mouth, and she moaned. She felt completely different, when was the last time she had it with anybody? Like this?

His mouth left hers and stared trailing soft kisses down her neck. It was amazing how he wasn't too aggressive, he kept holding himself so he wouldn't be too heavy on her, but all she wanted was to press herself harder against him.

Suddenly he stopped and brought his head back to hers, his forehead touching hers. They were both breathing hard. "You look so beautiful right now it actually hurts."

She blushed and stared into his eyes boldly. "So... so what now?"

He panted one last time and then rolled aside and laid next to her. "I think... one of us should go take a shower now."

"Oh," She rose up, feeling confused for some reason. "Okay, so -"

"Amy."

She turned to look at him, his eyes were closed tight. "What?"

"This..." He rose up and looked at her. "What happened right now, cannot happen again if you want to be only friends with me."

She nodded and bit her lip. "Yes, I get that." She sighed and got up. Her blue dress was sticking to her body and her wet hair was sticking to it. Ian wanted to scream at her for making him see this.

"Is that means..." She turned to him, concern in her green eyes. "That you want more?"

His eyes blazed when he got up and walked to her, stopping a few steps away. "I want a fair chance. Back then, when we were kids, it wasn't fair to any of us. I need to have my **chance** with you properly."

She nodded. "I think... we can **try**." She took a deep breath. "I'm sorry for what you've been through, I had no idea. I always thought you just didn't like me."

He chuckled. "Who couldn't like you?"

She blushed and averted her eyes. "I guess many people, I don't know."

He rolled his eyes. "That's plain stupid, love."

She laughed softly, great full she was going to shower. She needed the opportunity to digest all of this, all of _him_. She was surprised at her reaction to him, she was way too calm then she would've thought. "I'm going to shower now."

He nodded, his eyes soft. "Ok, Love."

Amy closed the bathroom door behind her. The second he heard the water running, he picked up his phone and called Sinead.

* * *

 **Ok, so... This is chapter 10! Yayy !**

 **Hope you liked it !**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

"Hello?"

"Hey, Sinead, it's Ian."

"Yea, I know - "

"I confessed to her."

"...WHAT?!"

Ian smirked, playing with the ham of his swim suit pants. "Yea, and it went well."

"Ok," he could hear her borrows frown beneath her red red curls. "Then, what do you want from me?"

He opened his mouth to answer, but then he heard her gasp. " _No_."

"Come on, I need to know where I stand and I'd never ask her about that. You have to tell me."

"If you want to know how and when exactly they broke up -"

"No, I don't need all of that." His golden eyes stared at the wall. "Only..."

"Oh," She mocked and he rolled his eyes. "You insecure Kabra."

"Shut up."

"You can breath, she was the one who broke up with him, though she insists it was their both call for his dignity."

He rolled his eyes, that was so Amy. "Thank you." His voice was authoritative.

"And what about the mission between all this drama?"

He chuckled. "We know who exactly the Darmores are between all the entrepreneurs here, and what they're trying to built. But we haven't decided what to do about it yet."

"Good, when you figure this out, let us know. Don't do anything stupid on your own, Fiske and I must know everything you plan from now on."

"Fine."

He heard the door of the bathroom crack open, and he smirked at the door. "I got to go."

"Tell her I say hi." She rolled her eyes.

He finished the call and turned to her as she paced to him, wiping dry her hair with a towel. "Who-"

"It was Sinead, she is saying hi by the way."

"Oh," Amy laughed and walked to the bed, her back to him. "Isn't it nice of her."

His gaze was fixed on her, he was barely able to concentrate on her words. Since they made out earlier, he felt like he couldn't get enough. She was so beautiful that all he wanted to do was hug her from behind, but she was clean and he was still full of chlorine from the pool. "Yes it is." He said quietly, his voice low.

She turned to face him, and caught the flare in his eyes. They kept staring at each other for a few moments, until he sighed. He didn't want to scare her, all of that... was happening too soon. Too soon. "I'm going to shower."

"Oh," She blinked, it was adorable. "Okay, I'll wait for you here I guess."

He sighed and walked to her, until her was only a few millimeters away. He could see her red blush and the few little freckles that were almost invisible on her nose. He ran his hand gently and slowly across her pale cheek, his eyes not leaving hers. "You're only making it harder."

To his surprise, she laughed and hugged him, taking him close.

He sighed in relief, feeling his body relax into her. He pulled her to himself harder, but mumbled."I'm stinky."

He heard her light laugh. "I don't care." She pulled away from him, her green good eyes shining. "But you should go shower. We need to sit with Hamilton and figure out what to do now with the Darmores."

"Yea," He nodded reluctantly. "Ok."

* * *

"So what do you guys think?" Hamilton's blue puppy eyes were serious as he looked at Amy, Ian, and Fiske and Sinead on the phone on a video call.

"I say we spy on them, try to figure out what exactly they know." Said Sinead.

Fiske nodded at her and then looked at Ian and Amy. "You two will have to pretend you're seriously interested about investing in their idea, and then try to fish information."

Amy just hated acting, she felt like she sucked in it every single time. "Ok, we can do it." She took a deep breath.

Ian chuckled next to her. "I can do the talking for you." He placed his hand on her knee for a moment.

She rolled her eyes. "Yes, right."

"And I will be your bodyguard again." Hamilton looked like he was happy to act again, he actually shone in delight.

Amy laughed. "You can be my bodyguard whenever you like."

Ian knew it was just an innocent sentence, but he wanted to kick Hamilton at the moment. Why would she say that? He knew they were good friends, but she wouldn't need any bodyguard. _He_ could be her bodyguard.

"Ok, so it's settled." He said instead, keeping his composure. "We have another night here before we have to get back. We can call them and ask them to dinner, how does this sound?"

"Beyond excellent," Fiske nodded in improvement. "Of course, make sure you go to a _fancy_ one, it's important for your roles."

"Oh great." Amy couldn't hide her feelings anymore, she hid her face in her hands, covered by her long hair.

Fiske chuckled and looked at her in affection. "You also have to dress up."

Ian chuckled and Amy rose her head to stare at him, her eyes frowning. "You must be so happy, huh? That's _your_ comfortable zone."

He smirked back at her. "I wouldn't deny that. Poor you, how are you going to cope?"

"Let us all know what information you managed to get from them." Said Fiske. "And Sinead and I will talk to you later."

"Okay, Bye old man." Said Hamilton, and the call ended.

"You have to stop calling him that." Said Amy.

"But how will he get so annoyed without it?" Hamilton smirked.

"You're irreparable," Said Ian, but he was laughing as well. Hamilton frowned at him - _Something changed in that guy._ "Are you feeling good?"

Ian stared at him. "Yea, why?"

"You're... _laughing_."

Amy giggled. "He is finally showing some happiness and you're questioning him? You never know when it will happen again!"

And then they both burst into laughter. At his expense.

But the thing was - He really didn't care that much.

He wrapped his arms around her waist and brought her to himself. "So, I think Fiske brought you another dress to wear tonight, right love?"

She stopped laughing and her shining eyes squinted and focused on him. _Good_. "See Hamilton? Back to _meanie_."

Hamilton laughed. "I saw the dress though," he got up to take the list from the table. Then, before looking at it, his amused eyes glances at Ian. "I don't think he would still be meanie seeing you in _that_."

Amy blushed, but Ian had a response. "I could always be mean to other people. You're my bodyguard, right?"

Hamilton rolled his eyes. "I'm not your bodyguard when we come back, so I'd say - Don't try me."

This was actually fun, Ian thought. Who knew Hamilton had it in him. "Whatever. What's the number? How many people are we talking about?"

Hamilton glanced at the paper. "They are four people, three men and a woman. They represent the full organization..." He flipped the papers and frowned. "it's called 'Daring Technology.'"

"The name suits them well," Said Amy and shivered, remembering that tremendous robot.

"Anyway," Said Hamilton. "We need to meet up with them, there is also a phone number here." He gave the papers to Ian.

Ian took the papers and nodded. "Alright, I'll give them a call right now. The day is almost over so we better hurry."

"Yea," Amy nodded, softly biting her lip. "Better get this over with."

Ian was about to get up and call them but stopped and kept sitting for a moment more. He took out his hand and let it go through her soft hair gently. "Don't worry, you'd do great." He said softly, looking into her eyes. "Just relax and don't worry about the terms, I'll take that part, Ok?"

She nodded once, hypnotized by his stare, and then he got up and took out his cell phone, leaving her alone with Hamilton.

The second he was out of sight, Hamilton pointed his look at her. "What the hell was that?"

Amy sighed, there was no escape but actually talk about it. It felt so unreal, yet she knew she couldn't make it up herself so it had to be real. She looked into Hamilton's eyes. "He... hmm... We had a talk earlier, he wants to date me."

Hamilton leaned back on his chair. "Well, can't say I'm surprised, but... Why has he been such a - "

She laughed. "I asked him the same thing. Well, it's too private of him to say, but he had a good reason. I'm not offended anymore, and he asked for forgiveness."

"Ok, Ames," He nodded, looking a bit worried. "Just be careful, Ok? I mean, even a baby could tell he has feelings for you but still."

She smiled, it was so heartwarming that he worried for her. "Thanks, ham."

Right then, Ian came back, ending a call. He sat down and looked at the both of them. "We have dinner in two hours, so we better get ready."

"Ok, then," Hamilton got up from his seat. "I'll leave you two to prepare, I'll see you."

"Bye Ham," Amy nodded at him as he closed the door after him.

She sighed as Ian chuckled. "You're really not ready for another dress up, aren't you?"

"No," She shook her head and walked to him. "At least tomorrow we're going home."

"Yea," Ian trailed off, looking distracted all of a sudden. "Is it so bad for you?"

Suddenly, she realized he got it all wrong. "No, I wasn't talking about you, Ian," She took his hands in hers. "It's just... I'm feeling really uncomfortable near all this fancy places, wearing those fancy clothes. About you, I'm just... confused, and... wondering."

"Yea?" He smirked and took a piece of her hair out of her face. "What are you wondering about?"

"What is going to happen between the both of us..." She bit her lip.

He got serious, he held both of her hands stronger. "Whatever you want."

She looked at him, her green eyes uncertain. "And you actually mean that?"

One of his hands went to her waist gently to bring her closer to him, the other one went to her cheek. "I mean everything I told you. Can I have a kiss now?"

She took a breath, and then pressed her lips softly to his. She wasn't used by now to this feelings, but when his arms trapped her close to him, she was totally overwhelmed.

The kiss was gentle, and somehow it felt more intimate then almost any kiss she had before. He groaned silently and ran his hand through her hair, just when they heard knocking on their door.

They broke apart slowly. "It must be Hamilton, maybe he forgot something." She said quickly and pulled away. She walked to the door, opened it, but froze in place.

"...Natalie?"

* * *

 **So, I'm sorry the chapters are short, but as I said before - I work most of my time this days so I don't much time to do anything :)**

 **I also don't want to publish once in forever, so short chapters are what it is.**

 **Really hoped you liked it!**

 **BTW - I have a question. What "Taking swings" means?**

 **There's this new Taylor Swift song named "Call it what you want", and in this song, she says something about "Drama queens taking swings." What's that means?**

 **Thank you !**

 **And oh,** **Addict** **, I love all kind of chocolates ! Just so you know - I've heard that eating dark chocolate once in a while is actually healthy ;)**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

"Natalie?!"

The British, tall model looked at both of them with her eyes squinted. Her long black straightened hair was flowing behind her, and she was holding a purse. "Hello, Ian, Amy. Did I interrupt anything?"

Amy was the first to come back to her senses. "No, not at all!" She blushed despite herself. "Come inside, how are you?"

"Good, I heard you're in a mission here." Natalie clicked her way on her pink heels inside the room.

Ian crossed his arms. "Yea, we are. When did you get here?"

Natalie turned to face him, waving her hair. "An hour ago. I have shooting here tomorrow so I'm staying here tonight."

He nodded. "You could have called me."

She smirked at him, and finally Amy saw that the warmth between the two of them still remained. "And ruin the effect of surprise?"

He rolled his eyes as they hugged each other, and Amy smiled at the sight, recalling her own little brother.

"By the way, Amy," Natalie pulled away from him. "Daniel says Hi."

Amy blinked at her. "What?"

"You saw Daniel?" Asked Ian.

Natalie flipped her hair. "Yea, I had a walk in Japan before I got here, and we accidently met. He's doing good, Amy. And he misses you."

"Ohh..." Amy started to tear up, and Natalie rolled her eyes. "Don't start crying now. His words."

She laughed. "Thanks Natalie. I'm dying to hear everything about how you've been."

Natalie passed her stares between Amy and her brother. "What are you two up to now?"

"Right now, we need to get ready for dinner with the people we suspect." Said Ian. "Why?"

"That's great!" Natalie squeaked and clapped. "Amy, I'm going to help you get ready."

Oh, no. "Ahh... What?"

"You heard me." Natalie took a few menacing steps towards her. "I'm going to make you _so_ pretty."

"She is already pretty." Ian blurted, not liking this.

Natalie spared him one stare and then rolled her eyes. "Oh, yea, so you two are now open with each other about your feelings?"

Amy blushed but Ian chuckled. "I think we have an understanding, right love?"

All she could say was "Don't call me love!"

"Yea," Natalie looked back at Amy. "Perfect understanding. Come on, Amy."

"Come on where?" Amy smiled. Somehow she remembered Natalie much more serious than this. She was actually pretty fun to be with. Maybe she just reminded her of Dan.

"To _my_ suit, I have everything I need there." She answered. "Oh, and bring your dress. Ian? We will meet you at the restaurant."

* * *

"I seriously can't believe we're doing this." Amy wanted to hide her face in her hands but she couldn't because Natalie was applying make up to her face.

"You'd look fantastic." Natalie answered shortly, focused on her doing. "You already have the body and the face, and your hair is longer than I remembered. You just need to nourish yourself more."

Amy laughed. "Nourish myself? I'm not a model, Natalie."

Natalie squinted her eyes. "Yea, that's good." She closed the tube she was holding, only to open another one. "Stay still."

Amy sighed. "So... How did you and Dan meet in Japan?"

Suddenly, she could tell Natalie felt uncomfortable. "He came to a fashion show I was modeling in."

"Really? Dan at a fashion show? What was he doing there?"

"His friends dragged him there, hoping to meet models." She rolled her eyes. "He recognized me on the aisle, so he came to me afterwards."

"And... did it go well?"

Natalie looked embarrassed for some reason. "Yea, he is not as childish as he was before. And his hair is longer. He talked about you a lot, wanted to know how you're doing."

"That's great." Amy smiled.

"Ok," Natalie straightened. "You're ready. Go look."

Amy took a deep breath and got off the chair. Hesitantly she walked to the mirror, and almost gasped in shock. The dress she was wearing... Who picked it up for god's sake? That dress together with her makeup made her look way too sexy than usual.

She turned slowly to the smirking Natalie. "I know, right?"

"I don't know..." Amy trailed and let her hand through her hair lightly. "Isn't that too much?"

"You're supposed to be dating this multi-billionaire guy and you're going to eat at a fancy restaurant. No, it's precise."

Amy breathed slowly. "I guess you're right. Man, I'm nervous."

 _What will Ian think?_

"And talking about that," Natalie sat on the chair next to hers and crossed her long legs. "Are you dating for real?"

"Hmm..." Amy was embarrassed. "I think we are. He told me Cara broke up with him because she thought he was... in love with me."

Natalie nodded. "And how do you feel? About him?"

"Well, I..." Amy took a deep breath. "I like him, we have this connection I've never had with anyone else before. And though it's a bit scary, because... you know, it's Ian Kabra, I do want to try."

"That's good." Natalie nodded. "Because I agree with Cara."

Amy blushed. "That's really weird for me. I'm not used to popular people liking me, and your brother is kind of a legend."

Natalie rolled her eyes. "And still, he can't forget you. How romantic."

Amy laughed, and then looked at the clock. "Oh, shit, I have to go. Ian must be waiting there."

Natalie nodded at her. "Go, have fun."

Amy smiled. "Thank you."

* * *

Ian found himself sitting alone with the four suspects. They only sat, but he already felt anxious. Where was she? Was she Ok? He couldn't give shit about the mission at the moment.

Right on time, the big golden ornamented door was opened with a slight wind, and he turned to look, together with his friends to the table.

His mouth opened in shock, for a moment he was sure he was dreaming.

Wearing this little black dress, she stepped in. She was wearing heels, and her eyes were smoky with makeup, her hair scattered around.

He could tell he wasn't the only one starring at the beauty that just walked into the restaurant. He could tell the Darmore guys were ogling, and he caught a few of the waitresses watching her.

But he couldn't freak out now, he had to play the game.

He smirked as she approached him, a smile on her face. "Hey, baby," He gave her a gentle kiss on the lips before she approached the others and shook their hands. "Sorry for being late, your sister wouldn't let me go." She smiled at him teasingly before she sat.

He chuckled. "Yea, she's like that."

She laughed and glanced at their company. "All of his family is like that."

"And soon you'd be a part of it, so you better get used to it." He took her hand.

"You guys are so sweet, how long are you dating?" Asked Marta, the only Darmore girl.

Ian glanced at her with a soft smile on his face. "We've been together for five years now."

"And how did you meet?"

Amy opened her mouth to answer the answers they both learned and memorized, but Ian actually surprised her. "We met as children, but Sophie didn't like me so much back then." He chuckled. "And for a reason - I was awful."

"And now you're engaged to him?" Asked one of the guys, Jacob was his name. Ian wanted to punch him.

Amy giggled. "Well, It's been years since that time, we've been through so much and he... changed." She glanced at him.

"What a beautiful story." Marta nodded.

"Indeed," Ian nodded and switched glances with Amy. "Shall we order?"

* * *

"I see, and that's exactly why both of us were intrigued by you in the first place," Ian nodded, continuing a conversion which Amy had a mere clue what was about.

Then, he glanced at Amy, his dark eyes alarming her he was going to start questioning. Then, he turned back to them. "So tell me please, are you having any more researches and development? If we'd invest in you, we would like to know what exactly we're investing in."

He saw them exchanging worried glances and then squeezed her hand tighter.

"Hmm," Jacob coughed, rubbing his nape. "This might sound like a fiction to rational people like you, but actually, we've heard lately about a family, Cahill is its name, and that this family possess the information about 39 clues that are actually ingredients to a potion that can make you smarter, stronger."

"I see," Ian tried to sound skeptical.

"That sounds weird," Amy nodded. "How did you hear about that?"

"Ten years ago, we met a guy named Damien Vesper, he told us all about the family and actually showed us how to mix some of the ingredients. The influence on the rabbit we were following was enormous, it began to be stronger, smarter, and even started to communicate with us, merely. But this guy passed away, and we didn't know anything farther than what he had already told us." Said Jacob.

"The search for this clues is really tough, we have the best analysts in our company and we can't find anything," Said Marta. "So you can see it as an offline assignment for us. We can't focus on something that sounds like a fiction." Added Marta.

"And you're completely sure it were those ingredients that affected the rabbit?" Said Amy innocently. "I mean, we've never heard about anything like this, and It makes more sense that this guy gave the rabbit hormones or drugs."

"Well, he did sound a bit crazy," Said Marta, and moved uneasily. "He talked about conquering the world."

"Yea, and this is the reason why we decided to put that search away for now." Agreed Jacob. "So what do you think about our current development?"

* * *

"So we handed you the list of name, phone numbers, locations, family status and jobs." Said Ian to Fiske on the phone.

"And you think they don't know much of the 39 clues?" Asked Fiske.

"Yes," Amy nodded, though Fiske couldn't see her. She sighed and looked at the phone that was on speaker. "Like we said, they talked to Damien Vesper ten years ago, but are doubting the things he did and the ways he used. Anyway, it's not their priority and they are focused on their new development of their robot."

"Anyway, it's recommended to keep following them." Said Ian.

"I see," They heard Fiske's heavy voice. "I'll pass it to the headquarter. Good job, kids. We're waiting for your arrival tomorrow."

Fiske ended the call, and both of them sighed and looked at each other. "I guess this is it, then." Said Amy and smiled. "Thank god."

They were standing at their room, still dressed and tired.

Ian rolled his eyes. "I could use another day off, actually."

"You?" Amy giggled and scooted closer to him, happiness in her green eyes. Ian loved to see her like this. "You're a workaholic."

"I'm not a workaholic, I just don't trust anybody in the office to do a good job so I don't like to take days off."

She giggled and he pulled her to himself. "And what about me? If I was one of your employees, would you trust me to do a good job?" She arched her head to look at him, her smile mischief.

"Well," He started to rub her back gently up and down, pretending to ponder the idea. "I would never hire you in the first place, you'd make a horrible lawyer."

"Seriously?" She pulled away from him, only to stand right in front of him, real close. "Why?"

Just breathing her smell. so close to him, started to ignite a light in him, like a firework. Plus, she looked too good to be true. "You're too good of a person for that job. Sometimes, you have to play dirty and you're not like that."

She took a little step away from him and looked in his eyes. Those eyes' color always changed, sometimes it was darker and sometimes brighter, but right now his eyes were like honey, so bright but also so dark. And though she could see the coldness inside of them, the cynicism, the toughness and the strictness, she could also see this hidden side, the sweeter side of him. "You think too highly of me."

"No, I think precisely of you. You are the only person in this world I could trust besides Natalie." He answered.

Boldly, she reached her finger to trace his tanned face - his strong chiseled jaw, his cheek bones, his forehead, and he closed his eyes and relished the feeling.

"So you don't trust anybody?"

"Anybody."

She bit her lip, giving his face a last caress and then stops. "Why?"

He opened his eyes. "Because I saw multiple times how easy it's to manipulate someone, to hurt them, to lie to them. I did some of those things myself. I learned how to be a shark, though I despise it, and I can tell everyone else is just like me, sometimes worse or better."

She nodded. "It's hard to do the right thing. You know, sometimes I'm wondering whether I make the right decisions or not, it's all so confusing."

He took her into his arms. "At least you try. Don't let anyone say that you're not a good person, not even yourself."

She giggled. "The same goes to you, no?"

He chuckled. "I guess I stopped believing in myself a long time ago."

She could detect this sadness in his voice. She hugged him harder and tighter to herself. Was he feeling hopeless? irreparable? doomed?

"Then you should bring your faith back. I believe in you."

"No," She felt him shaking his head. "how could you say that?"

She sighed. "You... even after all this time, you still like me for me. The person I'm at least trying to be." She felt her heart beat faster as she said those words. "Let's be honest, you could have any girl you want, but still... you see me for the person I really want to be."

He sighed and pulled away from her a bit, and she could see how dark his eyes turned. "You're one of a kind, love."

She bit her lip, her green eyes starring determinedly into his. She also never looked more beautiful than now. "I will make you see that you are too."

She could feel it, the fire, the anticipation, but she continued. "Eventually, it's about doing the best you can. And I think that, just like me, you try."

"Maybe that's why I'm so hung up about you," He murmured suddenly, and she gasped as his hand found its way to her lower back to bring her close again. "You're making me a better me that I could ever be."

She laughed and run her hand through his hair softly. "How many versions of you are there?"

He laughed, and in a swift move, he turned her so her back was against the wall. She could see the lust in his eyes. "As many as you want."

His lips found hers, and shut the comment she was about to give.

God, everything about him just felt in place, felt like home, but in an exciting way. Clinging into him, she could feel and hear his soft groans, and she giggled to his lips and moved together with him to the bed.

"By the way, you have no idea how you look in that dress," He murmured beneath her, his eyes drinking her form. "You took every breath at the restaurant when you got inside."

Blushing with pleasure, she turned them so she could kiss him again. He was being so soft, so gentle, but she knew he was burning inside just like she was.

Getting him on top of her, she reached her hand and caressed under his shirt, feeling his abs and his taut abdomen.

All he wanted to do was kiss her deeper and... _No_.

"Wait, love," He said and pulled away, only to see her lying on bed, her dress a mess, her green eyes wide open with anticipation and her long orangish hair scattered across the pillow. _Fuck him._

"I'm sorry, are you Ok?" She asked, and he wanted to laugh because of course he wasn't Ok. He felt like an idiot, but he knew it was actually the smarter choice. He was _not_ going to mess this up.

He smiled at her to reassure her that everything was Ok, and she was surprised at how handsome he looked when he was _happy_. "I'm Ok, baby, but I think it's best if I could take you out first, no?"

"Take me out?" She rose up to look at him. "Ian, we've known each other forever!"

"But I want to do it right." He said softly, and she felt it pinch her heart. How come he could tell her about his feelings so easily?

"You're right, taking you out does sound stupid, but... I want to do it right."

"Ok," She took his hand and smiled. "Then I'm going to shower... _alone_ , I guess." She jumped out of bed and sent him a smile before disappearing.

She knew she was being awful and that he was right without a doubt, but still...

Knowing the he had been feeling like this, for _her_ , knowing that he had never betrayed her...

It opened her eyes,

It opened her eyes for an opportunity,

a chance.

* * *

 **Hey there you all!**

 **Sorry for taking so much time to update,**

 **It's just that I work most of my time.**

 **So... How are you doing?**

 **Hope you liked it!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

"What are you thinking about?"

"What?" Amy rose her head from its position on Ian's chest, her hair fell back.

They were lying like this for a few moments, her head on his chest and him stroking her hair.

He smirked at her, and she felt her belly flip. He looked so good all the time, but he was amazingly gorgeous when he was carefree, devoided of worries and happy. His golden eyes looked so pure suddenly, but not idiotic or innocent. In his own special way, he was the most handsome guy she had ever seen.

"You were really quiet for a while." He answered.

"Oh," She stared at the wall in front of her, shaking her head a bit. "Actually, I was thinking about Natalie."

Ian frowned. "What about Natalie?"

"Well," She got up from bed. "I'm going to see if she's in her room, maybe we can have some girl talk."

He chuckled. "Gossiping about me already?"

She rolled her eyes. "So is everything about you?"

"Mostly," He smirked, and she laughed and rolled her eyes. "You're irreparable."

"I can't help what other people say."

She laughed at him softly, her kind green eyes shining. "Of course."

She was about to leave but he stood up and got closer to her. "So... you don't want me coming, I assume." He took a piece of her hair and put it behind her ear.

 _How come it felt so natural already to be next to him like that?_

She giggled and lowered her eyes. "No."

He exhaled knowingly. "Then I guess I'll have a beer with Hamilton in the meantime."

"You should," Her sparkling eyes met his and melted his heart. "I think all this mission thing is great for making you guys know each other better."

He rolled his eyes. " _Know each other better?_ We're talking about Hamilton and... I?"

She giggled and touched his chest gently. "Come on, why do you mind? You could turn you two into friends, you could gain a new friend."

He laughed. "I don't need new friends, I already got to many of them. But you know what... I'll give Hamilton a chance."

"Thanks a lot." Amy rolled her eyes and laughed, and all he wanted was to stay with her a bit longer.

When she pulled away, he pulled her back to him gently. "Wait."

"What?" She whispered, seeing the mischief look in his eyes.

He pulled her closer gently and wrapped his arm around her, his mouth finding hers.

He only intended for a short goodbye kiss, but she clang to him and he wouldn't refuse.

The way she kissed him now was making him feel like he might lose control - She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her lips tighter to his.

He pulled away softly, and she could see the lust in his eyes, but also the restraint. He pressed his forehead to hers. "Nothing."

A short laugh escaped her lips as she pulled away to see his eyes better, a warm smile in her green eyes. "So that's nothing?"

He chuckled. "There could be so much more."

She blushed a beautiful shade of pink and averted her eyes, biting her lip. "Oh."

He chuckled again and brought her to himself, hugging her tight. "It feels so strange, right?"

"Yea." She mumbled into him.

He felt like a little kid with a chance, breathless and excited. He couldn't lose, he had to win this, cause this was it - This was the girl.

Just her smell, gentle and sweet, made his heart beat faster, opening his senses. They were together for what now, a day and a half? Everything was exciting, rushing and new, but also so _familiar_.

He stroked her long soft hair, from the top to her waist. "If you guys decide to go somewhere, please tell me alright? Just so I know where you are without worrying."

She giggled and pulled away. "Alright, have fun with Ham."

She left him and closed the door after her. Taking a deep breath in the corridor, she exhaled with a big smile.

Could this all thing be a dream? Was she going to wake up to her boring life tomorrow?

And all this in three days?

She found Natalie's door and knocked, hoping she was there.

Natalie indeed were there, and she opened the door. She wore short pink shorts and a white top - _So Natalie._

Her hair was shiny and long and pretty, and her face was almost make up free, _almost_.

she looked gorgeous.

She leaned at the door frame, squinting her eyes at her. "You look really happy, blushing and everything."

Amy really didn't know what to say to that, she only blushed harder. "Well, I am I guess." She said eventually.

Natalie rolled her eyes. "Whatever, Come in"

Amy got inside and sat on the big bed in the middle. "So how did your show go?"

"Great, as usual." Natalie was in the little kitchen, pouring herself a drink. "Want some?"

"I would love to."

Natalie poured her one as well and went to sit in bed next to her. "What can I do for you, Amy?"

Amy smiled at her. "How was Dan, in Japan?"

Natalie back away a little, eyes widening. _Gotchaa_. "I already told you, he's doing really well, both in the Judo field and the science field."

"Yea, but..." Amy took a taste from her drink. "How does he do? Does he have a lot of friends? A girlfriend?"

Natalie face grimaced. "He has a lot of friends, yes, he is Dan, but he doesn't have a girlfriend."

"And is he happy?"

Natalie looked down, her perfectly manicured nails tapping on her glass. "From what I figured, he is, most of the time."

Amy nodded, her green understanding eyes reminded Natalie so much of her brother's. But the both of them were still really different.

Suddenly, Natalie felt herself soften and calmer, despite she knew where this conversation headed to. Maybe Amy Cahill just had this influence on people.

"Here I have a picture of him if you'd like," She said and searched her phone for that picture.

She showed it to Amy and Amy took the phone from her, eyes widening. Her brother had grew so much during the time she hadn't seen him! His body was big and muscled, and his blond hair was longer and reached his shoulders.

The smile on his face was proud, strong, and his green eyes were shining.

"Wow, he changed so much!"

"Yea, he did," Natalie nodded and took her phone back. "And he's working really hard."

Amy nodded, and the both of them stayed silent for a minute.

Suddenly, Amy said "So what happened between the two of you?"

Natalie exhaled and looked pointedly at her. "How did you know?"

Amy smiled. "There was something of the way you talked about him last time."

Natalie sighed, her pretty hair falling on her shoulder as she bent on the bed. "He and his friends managed to get behind the scenes, and he searched for me because he saw me on the runway. He, his friends, I and some of my friends went together to a bar, and he insisted of buying me a drink."

Suddenly, Natalie closed her eyes and sighed. "I know he is your brother, but could you try to understand me?"

"Nat, of course," Amy said, curious, her eyes serious. "What happened?"

"Things heated up and we... We had sex, and then in the morning we had a fight and that's when I left." Natalie blushed, and Amy could see it despite her tan skin.

She had to digest that her little brother and Natalie Kabra had sex, she means - where did _that_ come from? Natalie and... Dan?"

"What did you fight about?"

"He wanted to keep in touch, I thought about it more as a one night stand."

The way she said it made it clear that she wasn't happy about it. Amy figured it wasn't some fling to her. "Why?"

"Because he and I don't match, because we're different, we come from different places, and... He lives in Japan while I'm busy traveling. It could never work."

"And what did he say?"

Natalie rolled her eyes. "He said that we could work it out, we have Skype and Whatsup and we can talk to each other on the phone, but... Come on, Amy, I'm not an idiot. How could he expect me to trust him?"

Amy studied her carefully. "You think he would cheat on you?"

Natalie took a deep breath. "I know it's your brother and everything, but I don't trust _anybody_. And he's attractive, now, he is really attractive, and while I can't believe I actually say it, I know it's true. He could have anybody he'd want. Why would he stay loyal while I'm gone?"

Amy sighed. "It's Ok, it's not about him, you'd react like this no matter who we're talking about, and I have to say I understand."

Natalie's dark honey eyes met her own. "You do?"

"Yea," Amy nodded. "I mean... You don't really know Dan right now, how would you know if could trust him? I don't know what I'd do if we were talking about Ian."

"Oh, please," Natalie rolled her eyes. "When Ian gets what he wants, he makes sure to keep it, and when it's _you_... He's been in love with you like forever, trust me, he would never cheat on you or do something that could ruin your relationship."

Amy blushed and took a deep breath. "Maybe... maybe you could try to mend things with Dan, so you could actually trust him?"

Natalie froze for a few moments. "He did call... and texted. I never answered."

"Why didn't you?"

"I guess I just didn't want my heart broken."

"You guys really connected in Japan, huh?"

Natalie nodded, biting her lip. "He is different from any other guy I've dated, and I dated a lot. He doesn't care about all the luxury, he doesn't care about my money, he asked me things like, if I really enjoyed of what I was doing, and... He took interest in me, really me, you know? Not the model me, but _me_."

Amy smiled. "That sounds like Dan."

"And even though he is really successful now, he doesn't care about any of it, he is still... a little childish, and happy, and you can see the glint in his eyes whenever he is going to get in trouble. Purposefully."

Amy laughed. "I say, give him a call, and say Hi from me."

Suddenly, Natalie phone started to buzz, and they both looked at it. Dan's name was in the screen.

"Well, I guess I'll get going." Amy rose from the bed. "So thanks for the drink, and good luck."

Natalie smiled at her. "Thanks, Amy."

When Amy returned to her room, she found Ian there, still dressed. "Hey, there." She said cheerfully and closed the door behind her.

"Hey," He smiled his million dollars smile. "I just came back from Hamilton. Maybe you were right, I could give it a shot."

"Really?" She laughed and got closer to him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Really." He said, confusion and wonder in his eyes. "What are you so happy about?"

"I just had a really good talk with Natalie."

"Yea?"

"Do you think we could do long distance?"

Ian froze. "Why, do you have any intention to -"

"No, no," Amy laughed, and could feel him relax under her arms. "I'm just curious."

"Well," Ian frowned. "It would be hell, but I think we could. But I think that after some time it's just not enough, not for a couple. You or I, theoretically, would have to settle for the other person and move closer."

Amy nodded, she could understand. "Would you do that for me?"

"The long distance thing? Yea."

"That's good, because technically, we don't live that close to each other." She pointed, eyes still shining.

He smirked. "It's only an hour drive away, it's nothing."

"And when will we see each other?"

"After work and weekends, obviously. I finish my day before you do then I'll come pick you up and then we can hang, anywhere you want."

She looked down for a moment. "You wouldn't have the power to drive all the way to my place, would you?"

"Love, of course I would." He frowned and put his finger under her chin. "What are you worried about?"

"Tomorrow, we come back to our real life, I mean work, meetings, managements and so. That's... that's the real test, you know? To see if we're right for each other."

Ian tightened his grip around her. He didn't like to hear it, to hear that there's a possibility of them not working out. There couldn't be, really, he won't let it. "If you want to, we can live together."

She titled her head, eyes curious. "Isn't it too early?"

"Not for me," He smiled gently. "I would love to see you when I come back from work."

She gently let her pale fingers stroke the side of his face, and she smiled warmly at him, before she sighed and took him in her arms, on the tip of her toes. "Then we have some thinking to do."

"Yea, we do." He cupped the back of her head. "Are you ready for it?"

 _"Yes."_

* * *

 **And... That's the end of this story :) It was awesome to write,**

 **but it's more awesome to read the new stories around here. Yayy!**

 **Thank you all for your love and support,**

 **Kuky**


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